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30.Mar 2015

Two podium finishes in the Malaysia Grand Prix

Following the successful Formula 1 season opener down under, Lewis Hamilton (GBR) and Nico Rosberg (GER) scored their second consecutive podium finishes in Malaysia.

Hamilton, who made a good start from pole position at the Sepang International Circuit, defended the lead and so did his German team-mate with third place. They only lost their positions after the pit stops during the safety-car phase, but battled their way back with good progress to secure podium places.

Hamilton finished second in the Malaysia Grand Prix and thus secured the 72nd podium finish in his 150th Grand Prix. Rosberg followed in third place and set the fastest race lap time for the tenth time in his Formula 1 career.

The Chinese Grand Prix, the third Formula 1 race of 2015, will take place at Shanghai International Circuit, April 10-12.

30.Mar 2015

VLN season opener stopped due to accidentVLN season opener stopped due to accident

During Saturday’s season opener of the VLN endurance championship Nürburgring, an accident happened in which several spectators got injured. In spite of rescue measures that were carried out immediately, one of them succumbed to his injuries in the medical centre at the track. The other injured spectators were taken to hospital for further medical care. The race was stopped to guarantee the rescue teams a quick access to the scene of the accident and wasn’t restarted. At the ‘Flugplatz’ section of the track, a competition car had got off the track and landed behind the circuit’s safety facilities. The cause of the accident has yet to be determined.

AMG Customer Sports wishes the injured visi-tors a speedy recovery and sends its sincerest condolences and sympathy to the relatives of the deceased.

30.Mar 2015

A pair of top ten results in the Super Taikyu Series

Last weekend, the Twin Ring in Motegi was the venue for the season opener of the 2015 Super Taikyu Series. There were two AMG Customer Sport Teams among the 45 competitors.

The gullwing with starting number #8 competed for the ARN RACING team with Hiroaki Nagai (JPN) and Kota Sasaki (JPN) behind the wheel. On a dry track, the two Japanese claimed sixth place on the grid in qualifying. In the five-hour race on Sunday, the SLS AMG GT3 consistently held its place among the front-runners and only just missed out on a podium finish: Nagai/Sasaki were fourth in both their class ST-X and in the overall classification.

AMG Customer Sports Team Adenau entered a second SLS AMG GT3 with starting number #10. Philippe Devesa (FRA), Michael Green (AUS) and Shogo Mitsuyama (JPN) were the drivers. The trio started the endurance race from seventh place on the grid and was classified fifth after 147 laps. In their class ST-X, Devesa, Green and Mitsuyama also ended up in fifth place.

The next round of the Super Taikyu Series takes place at Sportsland Sugo, May 23-24.

30.Mar 2015

A class victory for the SLS AMG G3 in the Pirelli World Challenge

The Honda Grand Prix Track at St. Petersburg (USA) hosted the second race weekend of the Pirelli World Challenge from 26-29 March. The first race on Saturday covered 26 laps of the 1.8 miles’ race track. The three DragonSpeed drivers, Frank Montecalvo (USA), Eric Lux (USA) and Henrik Hedman (USA) had an exciting race for second and third place in the GTA class. In his SLS AMG GT3 with number #66, Montecalvo managed to make the biggest progress: from 26th place on the grid, he made his way up to 14th position, which made him second in the GTA class. Team-mate Lux finished 15th overall to claim third place in class. Hedman, who was classified 18th overall, secured fourth position in class. AMG Customer Sports Team BLACKSWAN RACING driver Timothy Pappas (USA) also managed to make up some positions in the race and finished in 23rd place (8th place GTA class).

Sunday’s second race saw Montecalvo get off to a good start with his SLS AMG GT3 #66. After 27 laps of racing, he was classified 11th overall and thus claimed victory in the GTA class. Team-mate Lux only just missed out on a class podium finish by coming home fourth. In the overall clas-sification, he was in 16th place. The third Drag-onSpeed gullwing finished sixth in class and 20th overall with Hedman behind the wheel.BLACKSWAN RACING driver Pappas got in-volved in an accident on the opening lap already. His SLS AMG GT3 with starting number #54 was hit by another car and couldn’t continue the race.

The next Pirelli World Challenge round is sched-uled to take place at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 17-19.

09.Mar 2015

Season opener for AMG Customer Sports Teams DragonSpeed and BLACKSWAN RACING in the Pirelli World Challenge at Austin (USA)

The Circuit of the Americas in Austin (USA) was the venue for the first race weekend with races 1 and 2. AMG Customer Sports Team DragonSpeed had entered three Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s: Frank Montecalvo (USA) raced car number #66, Eric Lux (USA) car number #08 and Henrik Hedman (USA) car number #10. BLACKSWAN RACING ran gullwing number #54 with driver Timothy Pappas (USA).

In the first race, Montecalvo managed to score a podium result straight away by finishing third in GTA class. The American was second in class across the finish line, but he was dropped one place due to a collision. In the overall results, he made good progress from 16th place on the grid to finish eighth overall. Teammate Lux finished 20th overall and seventh in GTA class. Pappas, the only SLS AMG GT3 driver to race in the GT class, finished 22nd overall (14th in the GT class) and Hedman came home 26th overall (twelfth in the GTA class).

There was a heavy downpour at the start of the second race and race control opted for a flying start as a result. Montecalvo didn’t manage to hold on to his ninth grid position and finally was classified 22nd overall (seventh place GTA class). His teammate Hedman followed in 24th place (ninth place GTA) as BLACKSWAN RACING driver Pappas came 25th overall (16th place GT class).

Races 3 and 4 of the Pirelli World Challenge will take place from March 27 till 29 at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida (USA).

03.Mar 2015

Mercedes-AMG GT3 as the Challenger

To coincide with the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-AMG is presenting its very latest racing car: the new Mercedes-AMG GT3. Meeting the FIA's GT3 race rules, it will compete in the world's most hotly contested customer race series. This successor to the successful SLS AMG GT3 is based on the Mercedes-AMG GT, which is shortly due to be launched to the accompaniment of outstanding reviews in the motoring media. Cutting-edge racing technology and the spectacular design predestine the new challenger for victories. With its clear commitment to international motor sport, the sports car and performance brand within Mercedes-Benz is once more demonstrating its development expertise for complete vehicles. Following an intensive test phase, the new AMG racing car is to be delivered to the first customer teams by the end of 2015.

Motor sport and Mercedes-AMG are inseparable entities: competition on the racetrack is deeply ingrained in the DNA of AMG, and constantly drives the team in Affalterbach on to achieve top-class performance. In no other customer race series of the world is there so much variety as in those held according to the FIA's GT3 rules. They attract the entire international sports car elite to the starting line. The mixture of demanding sprint races and legendary endurance classics around the globe constantly confronts the teams with new challenges.

“We are entering a hotly contested and strongly occupied competitive environment with the new Mercedes-AMG GT3. The high technological level and fair race rules motivate us to be right up in the front rank with our new customer racing car,” says Tobias Moers, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. “Our standard version of the AMG GT is already aimed specifically at the fiercely contested sports car segment. We are now systematically continuing this strategy on the racetrack as well. Only those who win against the best can substantiate a claim to leadership.”

The spectacular design and cutting-edge technology of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 will make their mark in customer sport, and the high racetrack performance of the standard GT already provides the best possible basis for this. The development team also had the benefit of the experience gained from the successes of the SLS AMG GT3. This first customer sport racing car from AMG, which celebrated its debut in 2010, has had an impeccable career with 187 victories, and was able to win the “Grand Slam” in 2013: the four endurance classics in Dubai, Bathurst, at the Nürburgring and in Spa-Francorchamps.

Sheer emotion and sheer power

The design lines of the new Mercedes-AMG GT3 say everything about the character and ambitions of this racer: make way for a car that is primed for the attack, and wants only one thing, namely to win. Its matt paintwork in designo selenite grey magno covers the muscular contours like a second skin. As an alluring contrast, yellow exterior highlights create sophisticated effects in counterlighting. From whatever the viewing angle: this racing car from Affalterbach already makes a mighty impression at standstill, and embodies sheer power.

The widened body, the large air inlets, the diffuser and the enormous rear aerofoil – numerous features from motorsport give the Mercedes-AMG GT3 a decidedly dynamic appearance. At the same time it avoids any sign of unnecessary showmanship: all modifications to the body are in the interests of maximum downforce and aerodynamic efficiency, for best results on the racetrack. The specially incorporated features also improve the effective cooling of components subject to high thermal loads.

Front end with new “Panamericana” radiator grille and “shark nose”

The new “Panamericana” radiator grille is particularly noticeable when viewed from the front. Its design with vertical chrome struts is reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL racing sports car. In 1952 this won the famous “Carrera Panamericana” endurance race across Mexico. With this modern reinterpretation of a classic design, Mercedes-AMG is paying respectful homage to its illustrious racing antecedent. Its victories are both a powerful incentive and an obligation to strive for peak position once again.

The three-dimensionally formed Panamericana radiator grille is more convex at the top than at the bottom – designers refer to these proportions as a “shark nose”. It is particularly recognisable from the side, and gives the Mercedes-AMG GT3 a combative demeanour. The shape of the Panamericana radiator grille opens out downwards, suggesting the stylised “A” that is typical of the front end in AMG cars. The lower air inlet above the large front diffuser is likewise A-shaped. The carbon-fibre front diffuser transitions into a smooth underbody to produce hefty downforce together with the rear diffuser and rear aerofoil. Special cooling ducts in the front apron ensure efficient cooling of the front brakes, which are particularly subject to high thermal loads when racing.

AMG Lightweight Performance: carbon-fibre and aluminium spaceframe

To keep the vehicle weight as low as possible, the body is mainly of carbon-fibre: the bonnet, doors, front wings, front and rear aprons, side walls, side skirts, diffuser, boot lid and rear aerofoil are made from this particularly lightweight yet extremely strong material. As in the roadgoing version, the vehicle structure of the GT3 consists of a likewise extremely lightweight yet rigid aluminium spaceframe. With numerous detailed improvements, systematic implementation of the “AMG Lightweight Performance” strategy has resulted in an even lower kerb weight than that of the SLS AMG GT3.

Flics mounted on the sides of the front apron generate downforce at the front axle, as do the so-called “louvres,” the wheel arch air vents at the top of the front wings. On each side, the wider body compared with the standard version of the AMG GT3 creates space for the wide track of the double wishbone axles and 45.7 cm (18-inch) light-alloy wheels with cen-tre locks. An air inlet on the left and right shoulders ahead of each rear wheel conducts the necessary cooling air to the transmission at the rear axle. The standardised connection for the fast-fuelling system is located in the C-pillar, where it is ergonomically ideal for the pit crew.

Maximum downforce and aerodynamic performance

A large, central aperture in the bonnet has the appearance of a gaping mouth. Its purpose is to expel large volumes of air warmed by the cooling module. Behind the front wheels there are noticeable wheel arch air vents which likewise conduct away warm air. Air inlets ahead of the rear wheels assist cooling of the rear brakes. Directly in front of each one is an exhaust tailpipe – it is from these scarcely muffled “sidepipes” that the typical AMG eight- cylinder sound thunders. Music to the ears not only of hard rock enthusiasts. Below the side skirts, the smooth underbody ensures an efficient airflow beneath the vehicle.

Extremely wide and sporting its large rear aerofoil, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 also cuts an impressive figure from the rear. Maximum downforce at the rear axle and high aerodynamic performance are ensured by the mul-tiply adjustable rear aerofoil and the prominent diffuser. Large apertures in the rear apron expel the warm air from the rear wheels.

Naturally aspirated, high-revving AMG engine as a well-proven power unit

The AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine, with additional improvements for the new racing car, ensures the fulminating power already familiar from the SLS AMG GT3. Low operating costs, long service intervals, the user-friendly technology and, not least, the great reliability of this naturally aspirated, high-revving AMG engine were the reasons for staying with this concept for the customer sports segment. Dry sump lubrication obviates the need for an oil sump, allowing the V8 engine to be installed low down in the chassis and well behind the front axle.

As is usual for the standard production engines, the racing engine also has an AMG engine badge bearing the signature of the technician who assembled it: Production of the V8 engine is a manual operation following the traditional “one man, one engine” principle applied in the AMG engine shop in Affalterbach. Naturally these AMG engine specialists are particularly proud to be assembling engines that are used to compete on legendary race circuits.

The sequential six-speed racing transmission of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 is mounted at the rear axle (transaxle concept), and connected to the en-gine by a torsionally rigid torque tube. A drive shaft rotates at the engine speed inside the torque tube. Both components are of lightweight carbon-fibre. A multi-disc locking differential integrated into the transmission acts together with the adjustable traction control to ensure that the engine power is optimally transferred to the racetrack during acceleration. The driver shifts the six gears using two steering wheel shift paddles. Gear-shifts are performed by pneumatic actuators which are likewise integrated into the transmission.

Double wishbone suspension of aluminium

Like the roadgoing version, the GT3 has a double wishbone suspension made almost completely of aluminium. This solution once again demon-strates how closely regular production and racing technology are linked at AMG. The same applies to the vehicle concept, with a low centre of gravi-ty, perfect weight distribution, long wheelbase and wide track. This layout guarantees precise self-steering characteristics, high lateral acceleration, first-class agility, high traction and low inertia during fast changes in direc-tion. On the different race circuits, all of these attributes give the driver the advantages necessary to achieve top placements.

For their individual, circuit-specific setup, customer teams are able to pre-cisely set the springs and dampers, stabilisers, suspension height, track and camber. The servo-assisted, direct ratio rack-and-pinion steering likewise contributes to agile handling. The development team paid par-ticular attention to the vehicle's predictable handling and good controllabil-ity at the critical limits. In these respects the SLS AMG GT3 has already scored top marks from racing drivers all over the world.

Neither did the AMG engineers accept any compromises when it came to the brakes: Good deceleration is ensured by a fade-resistant and very ef-fective steel racing braking system with composite technology and ad-justable racing ABS. Rapidly replaceable brake linings reduce idle time during endurance races. The pneumatic jacking system with four plungers integrated into the underbody allows fast pit stops and tyre-changes.

Major focus on functionality and safety

Functionality and safety are dominant features in the cockpit of the new Mercedes-AMG GT3. In addition to high passive safety standards, ergonomics was very high up in the list of development specifications. A clearly laid-out interior, ergonomic access to the controls and good ventilation to ease driver stress are very important aspects during sprints and endurance races.

The cockpit layout is basically the same as that of the roadgoing sports car: the low, sloping dashboard resembles a powerful wing, and emphasises the width of the car. Numerous controls are arranged in the prominent centre console, whose shape is reminiscent of an NACA air intake, e.g. the main switch, the switch activating the ignition and the starter button for the V8 engine. A manual brake balance adjustment is located next to the rotary switch for traction control and ABS. Reverse gear and the fire extinguishing system can also be activated on the centre console.

Adjustable racing steering wheel and pedal cluster

The quick-release racing steering wheel eases access and egress. Like that of the pedal cluster, its position is adjustable within a wide range for rapid adaptation to different sizes of driver. As only the steering wheel and pedals are adjusted, but not the seat shell, the car's centre of gravity and therefore the wheel load distribution always remain the same. This safeguards the setup during endurance races, where up to four different drivers often take the wheel. It also ensures that each driver is seated in the safest position within the confines of the rollover cage. Ergonomically arranged shift paddles allow gear changes without the driver's hands leaving the wheel – a further safety aspect. The driver is able to activate the two-way radio, headlamp flasher or drink function using keys on the steering wheel.

The central display is optimally positioned in the driver's field of vision. The so-called DDU (Digital Display Unit) provides all relevant information such as road speed, engine speed, operating temperatures, lap times, current gear and upshift indicator. A function key on the steering wheel is also used to switch between the information shown by the colour display.

Seat shell of carbon-fibre, rollover cage of high-strength steel

The safety concept of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 translates the exemplary safety level of the roadgoing GT to the racetrack. The development focus was on the greatest possible driver safety. One of the central elements of this philosophy is the carbon-fibre seat shell for the driver, which has a specially developed structure providing much greater protection than a conventional racing seat. The already well-proven concept of the SLS AMG GT3 was further optimised and adapted to the current FIA requirements.

Thanks to its special shape, the safety cell bolted to the rollover cage and aluminium spaceframe provides a high level of protection for the driver's shoulders, pelvis and legs, and it is also compatible with the HANS system (Head and Neck Support). The HANS system helps to prevent serious head, neck and spinal injuries, and is mandatory in many race series. The seat shell is individually foam-padded for every driver, features a six-point seat belt with reinforced anchorage points and provides an outstanding level of occupant protection.

Additional protection is ensured by the rollover cage of high-strength steel, which is bolted to the aluminium spaceframe and helps to rigidify this even further. It too was optimised for easier access and egress by the driver. An escape hatch is integrated into the roof, so that the driver can be rapidly rescued in an emergency if e.g. no access is possible via the doors. For reasons of balance, the carbon-fibre safety fuel tank is located directly behind the passenger cell and features an inner sac of elastic rubber.

Production at the Affalterbach plant

Production is in close cooperation between Mercedes-AMG GmbH and HWA AG, at the Affalterbach plant. A long-standing motor racing partner of Mercedes-Benz, HWA AG is one of the most successful teams in international motor sport: in total, the team won ten driver's titles (DTM and ITC) and three team titles for Mercedes-Benz and as such is the most successful team in the history of the DTM.

Deliveries to commence at the end of 2015

2015 will be devoted to the development and intensive testing of the Mercedes-AMG GT3. The objective is to deliver a mature and reliable high-performance product to the AMG customer teams. Racing drivers Bernd Schneider, a long-standing Mercedes-Benz works driver and AMG brand ambassador, and Thomas Jäger, AMG customer sports coordinator, will take turns in the cockpit. They have supported customer teams as AMG pool drivers since 2010, and have meanwhile achieved numerous victories. In the summer the new GT3 racing car will be on the starting line in test races for the first time. Deliveries of the first customer vehicles are planned for the end of this year, so that customer teams can take to the starting line in early 2016. This is when the Mercedes-AMG GT3 will also impress with its ease of maintenance and extended service intervals.

187 wins since 2010, victory in eight endurance races in 2013

AMG and HWA will continue to provide their highly professional services in Affalterbach, and also replacement parts support at the racetracks, for customer teams still using the SLS AMG GT3. The gullwing racing car has notched up a total of 187 victories since the start of the AMG customer sports programme in 2010. In 2013 alone it won eight endurance races, among them a “Grand Slam” with four prestigious overall victories in Dubai, Bathurst, at the Nürburgring and in Spa-Francorchamps. The 2015 motor sport season has also begun with a fitting success: a double victory for the SLS AMG GT3 in the 24-hour race in Dubai.

02.Mar 2015

Australian GT season kick-off for Erebus Motorsport GT

The first Australian GT race weekend of the 2015 season was held as part of the Clipsal 500 event. The AMG Customer Sports Team Erebus Motorsport GT was contesting the races with two SLS AMG GT3s. The qualifying session already had to be interrupted several times. When it had to be red flagged for the second time, the race control stopped the session for good. Max Twigg (AUS), who made his first race appearance with the SLS AMG GT3, and his teammate Geoff Emery (AUS) shared the wheel of the car #36. They could complete just four timed laps but succeeded in securing the 12th position on the grid, nevertheless. Meanwhile, Morgan Haber (AUS), another new signing of Team Erebus Motorsport GT, set the fifth-fastest lap time of the qualifying session, with his SLS AMG GT3 #28. After-wards, he lost his two fastest lap times due to penalties and dropped back to 17th place.

In the eventful first race, Twigg gained four positions and took the chequered flag in eighth position. Following a safety-car period, Twigg even temporarily held the lead but wasn’t able to keep his pressuring chasers at bay. For newcomer Haber and his gullwing #28 the race turned out to be less pleasant. Due to an accident he had to retire early and also couldn’t contest the other races of the weekend.

In race two, Twigg/Emery weren’t able to repeat the result they had secured in round one. From the eighth position on the grid, they lost a lot of ground and finished on 15th place. In the third and final race, a major starting incident jumbled the front end of the field. The SLS AMG GT3 #36 of Erebus Motorsport GT was able to benefit and gained a total of nine positions, over the course of the race. In the end, it crossed the line in the sixth position.

The second race of the Australian GT Series will be held from 22nd to 23rd May on Phillip Island.

27.Feb 2015

All-out attack: the new Mercedes-AMG GT3

Affalterbach. Mercedes-AMG will ring in the 2015 motorsport season at the beginning of March with the sonorous sound of the V8 engine: the new Mercedes-AMG GT3, with which the Mercedes-Benz sports car and high-performance brand is systematically expanding its motorsports presence, will be making its debut appearance at the Geneva Motor Show. Developed to comply with the FIA's GT3 race rules, the racing car will compete in the world's most hotly contested customer race series. Cutting-edge racing technology and spectacular design predestine the new challenger for victories. The new GT3 is based on the Mercedes-AMG GT, which is being launched in just a few days' time. Following an intensive test phase, the new AMG racing car will be shipped to the first customer teams at the end of 2015.

The Mercedes-AMG GT3 will blaze new trails in customer sports with its intelligent vehicle concept. The excellent racetrack performance of the standard GT already provides the best possible basis for this. “We are entering a hard-fought and hotly contested competitive environment with the new Mercedes-AMG GT3. The high technological standard and fair race rules are spurring us on to push to take pole position with our new customer racing car. You can only give credible proof of your ambition to lead if you're beating the very best in the game,” commented Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

The standard Mercedes-AMG GT already provides the ideal prerequisites for the GT3 racing model, with its low centre of gravity, perfect distribution of weight and wide track width. For this layout guarantees precise cornering properties, high lateral acceleration, first-class agility, a high level of traction and low inertia when having to change direction fast. On the different race circuits, all of these attributes give the driver the advantages necessary to achieve top placements.

Even at a standstill, the new Mercedes-AMG GT3 is the embodiment of undiluted power. Its matt paintwork in designo selenite grey magno covers the muscular contours like a second skin. The widened vehicle body, the large air intakes, the diffuser and the huge rear aerofoil all signalise a desire to attack. Every modification to the bodywork has been made for the purpose of maximising power output and aerodynamic performance.

As in the roadgoing version, the vehicle structure of the GT3 consists of a very lightweight yet extremely rigid aluminium spaceframe, offering outstanding protection for the driver. The driver is further protected by the resilient carbon-fibre seat pan and an integral roll-over cage made from high-tensile steel. In order to reduce the vehicle weight further still, the engine cover, doors, front wing, front and rear aprons, sidewalls, side skirts, diffuser, boot lid and rear aerofoil are all made from particularly lightweight yet high-strength carbon-fibre.

Cutting-edge motorsports technology for maximum performance

Powerful acceleration is ensured by the seasoned and now further enhanced AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine taken from the SLS AMG GT3. User-friendly technology, excellent reliability, long maintenance intervals and the high-revving naturally aspirated engine with low running costs made it the engine of choice for the new AMG customer sports model. The six-speed sequential racing gearbox for the GT3 is - as is the case in the standard GT - mounted in a transaxle configuration on the rear axle, thereby facilitating optimum weight distribution. They also have double-wishbone suspension - made almost entirely from aluminium - in common. These solutions once again demonstrate how closely linked regular production technology and racing technology are at AMG.

20.Feb 2015

The next generation customer sport racing car developed by Mercedes-AMG is here

The sports car and performance brand of Mercedes-Benz is presenting a new customer sport racing car that complies with FIA GT3 race regulations in the form of the new Mercedes-AMG GT3. The superb racetrack performance of the road-going GT forms the ideal basis on which to model the new Mercedes-AMG GT3, which is due to make its debut appearance at the Geneva Motor Show.

12.Feb 2015

Introducing the Mercedes-AMG GT3

Neatly coinciding with the upcoming market launch of the road-going version of the Mercedes-AMG GT, the next stage of the vehicle's evolution is already here: the sports car and performance brand of Mercedes-Benz is presenting a new customer sport racing car that complies with FIA GT3 race regulations in the form of the new Mercedes-AMG GT3. With this, the second customer sport car to be developed by Mercedes-AMG, the Affalterbach company is seeking to build on the success of the SLS AMG GT3 and further expand the customer sport programme first started in 2010. The superb racetrack performance of the road-going GT forms the ideal basis on which to model the new Mercedes-AMG GT3, which is due to make its debut appearance at the Geneva Motor Show.

08.Feb 2015

Best-placed SLS AMG GT3 comes fifth in Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour

Bathurst (AUS). Australian AMG Customer Sports Team Erebus Motorsport GT finished in fifth place overall in the twelve-hour race at Bathurst. Jack LeBrocq, Richard Muscat and Dean Canto (all AUS) had claimed seventh place on the grid in qualifying for their home race at the famous Mount Panorama. In the race, the trio of drivers took turns in the lead with the SLS AMG GT3 with starting number 36 and was challenging for a top position until the very end of the race. As the chequered flag came out, the team had completed 269 laps. With 20 safety car interventions, the race was action-packed.

The Erebus Motorsport GT sister car crossed the finish line in 21st place. Nathan Morcom (AUS), Austin Cindric (USA) and Simon Hodge (AUS) had started from 19th place with their race gullwing and made progress in the opening stages, but then dropped back again after repair work.

For AMG Customer Sports Team Samadi Grant Racing, the race came to an early end. Drivers Dean Grant, Ash Samadi and Max Twigg (all AUS) had to park their SLS AMG GT3 already after 171 laps due to an accident.

The twelve-hour race at Bathurst started on Sunday, February 8, at 5.50 am local time. The chequered flag came out at 5.50 pm.

12.Jan 2015

A 1-2 for the SLS AMG GT3 in the Hankook 24h Dubai to start the season

• AMG Customer Sports Team Black Falcon wins 24-hour race in Dubai• Second place overall for the Ram Racing gullwing• A total of twelve SLS AMG GT3 at the start, more than ever before in a GT3 race

Dubai Autodrome (UAE). German AMG Customer Sports Team Black Falcon claimed overall victory in the first endurance race of the year, the Hankook 24h Dubai. Ram Racing from Great Britain ended up second in its maiden race with the SLS AMG GT3. In the tenth running of the race in Dubai, twelve race gullwings run by ten different teams were on the starting grid. In total, 89 cars took the start in the demanding desert marathon. The Black Falcon team showed a dominant performance throughout the race. Yelmer Buurman (NED) started from second place and already took the lead in the first hour of the race after a thrilling opening stage. Later on, the Dutchman and his team-mates Abdulaziz Al Faisal (KSA), Hubert Haupt (GER) and Oliver Webb (GBR) successfully defended their leading position. Eventually, the quartet won with a margin of four race laps. For the Black Falcon team and the SLS AMG GT3, this was already the third overall win in the Dubai 24 Hours.

With second place overall, Ram Racing completed the 1-2 for the SLS AMG GT3. Drivers Cheerag Arya (IND), Thomas Jäger (GER), Tom Onslow-Cole and Adam Christodoulou (both GBR) had secured themselves fourth place on the grid and successfully held on to their position among the front runners throughout the race. AMG Customer Sports Team SPS automotive-performance also battled for a podium result for many hours. After a collision, however, Valentin Pierburg, Lance-David Arnold, Patrick Assenheimer and Alex Müller (all GER) had to retire.

The Dubai 24-hour race started on Friday, January 9, at 14.00 hrs local time. The chequered flag was waved on Saturday, January 10, also at 14.00 hrs.

Jochen Bitzer, head of AMG Customer Sports: “Congratulations to the teams Black Falcon and Ram Racing for the 1-2 in the Dubai 24 Hours. Scoring such a phenomenal result right away at the start of the season is outstanding. Due to the many participants and the high temperatures in Dubai, we have seen a very demanding and challenging race. This led to several collisions, in which, unfortunately, some of our customer teams also had to retire. Our thanks to all the AMG Customers Sports teams that have competed this weekend. In total, there were twelve race gullwings on the starting grid, more than ever before. That shows that the SLS AMG GT3 still enjoys a great popularity. We would like to wish all the AMG Customer Sports Teams a good and successful 2015. We are already looking forward to the upcoming races.”

Thomas Jäger, AMG Customer Sports Pool Driver: “Competing for the new AMG Customer Sports Team Ram Racing really was great fun. For the team, this was the maiden race with the SLS AMG GT3 and everyone involved has done a great job. The joy within the team about second place is immense. Congratulations to Black Falcon for its third overall win in the 24-hour race in Dubai.”

Sean Paul Breslin, team manager, Black Falcon: “We are delighted, because this third overall win in Dubai is an outstanding achievement for our team. Unfortunately, our sister car was sidelined from the race after an accident at an early stage already. Nevertheless, joy about the victory prevails. We have really deserved this win.”

08.Dec 2014

Asian Le Mans Series finale

During the Asian Le Mans Series season finale at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, Lam Yu, Takeshi Tsuchiya and Matsui Takamitsu once again raced the #90 SLS AMG GT3 for AMG Customer Sports Team AAI Motorsports.

In qualifying on Saturday morning, the #90 gullwing secured seventh place on the grid for the subsequent race. The Chinese-Japanese trio of drivers made its mark in the field of the four GT entrants throughout the race, but wasn’t able to make up positions. Heavy downpours in the final 20 minutes spiced up the action in the closing stages of the race. Yu/Tsuchiya/Takamitsu finished eighth overall and fourth place in the GT class.

08.Dec 2014

A perfect start into the V8 Supercars Championship finale

The Erebus Motorsport V8 Team entered two E63 AMG Supercar V8s for the final three races of the season in the V8 Supercars Championship finale, the Sydney NRMA 500 race.

In qualifying for round 36 of the season, Will Davison showed his potential with the E63 AMG Supercar V8: the 32-year-old claimed the maiden pole position of the season for Erebus Motorsport V8. However, a technical problem on the opening lap of the race blew all Davison’s hopes of a possible podium finish. The #9 E63 AMG Supercar V8 failed to make it to the finish in the first race of the weekend.

Racing with starting number #300, team-mate Lee Holdsworth also had a difficult start into the season finale. Contact in practice left Holdsworth sidelined from qualifying for rounds 36 and 37. His car being repaired for the race, the Australian had to start from last place on the grid. At the Sydney Olympic Park street circuit, he managed to make up nine places to finish round 36 in 17th place.

The next race (round 37) finished Holdsworth 24th. With the number #9 sister car, Davison, who started from P18, came home 13th after the duration of about one hour.

In the final race of this year’s V8 season, Davison shone once again. He started from 17th place and made up seven positions. The Erebus Motorsport V8 driver crossed the finish line in tenth place to score another top ten result for his team at the end of the season. Team-mate Holdsworth started from 19th place on the grid and was classified 18th overall.

After his bad luck at the start of the weekend, Davison concludes the V8 Supercars Championship in 14th place in the drivers’ standings. His team-mate Holdsworth is ranked 20th overall among the 52 entrants. In the final teams’ standings, Erebus Motorsport ends up seventh out of the 14 participating teams.

Thus, the Erebus Motorsport V8 team can look back upon a very satisfying second season. The maiden victory (round 8 at Winton, last April), another podium (round 20 at Townsville in July) and the maiden pole position were the highlights of the 2014 season. With these achievements, the team has laid a solid foundation for the 2015 season.

Affalterbach. In the 2014 motorsports season, AMG Customer Sport teams again achieved numerous victories with the SLS AMG GT3. Currently, there are over 40 teams worldwide starting with the race gullwings. In the finale of the Japanese Super GT SERIES GT300, which took place this weekend at Twin Ring Motegi, the team GAINER achieved race victory in a heart-stopping finale. Björn Wirdheim (SWE) and Katsuyuki Hiranaka (JPN) won a great first position with the GAINER DIXCEL SLS with a lead of one lap to the second best and thus won the team championship of the Super GT SERIES GT300 for the AMG Customer Sports team GAINER. In the driver ranking, they achieved the same number of points as the new champions, who were able to win the drivers’ title of the Super GT SERIES GT300 because of the better placements in the season. The sister car, the GAINER Rn-SPORTS SLS with Masayuki Ueda and Hideki Yamauchi (both JPN), won the fifth overall position. The LEON SLS with Haruki Kurosawa and Tsubasa Kurosawa (both JPN) ended the race on the sixth position. The AMG Customer Sports team R´Qs MOTORSPORTS crossed the finish line with the GREENTEC SLS AMG GT3, piloted by Hisashi Wada and Masaki Jyonai (both JPN), on the overall position 14.This Sunday, the team Mercedes-AMG Driving Academy achieved a sensational double victory in the GT Cup as part of the 61st Macao Grand Prix. Maro Engel (GER) and Renger van der Zande (NED) won the race on positions one and two. Having started from positions four and six, the two drivers performed a perfect start. Already in the first turn of the city track they took on the double lead and defended it until they crossed the finish line. Takeshi Tsuchiya (JPN) and Carlo van Dam (NED) of the team AAI Motorsports came home 14th and 16th.

Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “We are again looking back to a successful motorsports year. What AMG Customer Sport teams achieved in the 2014 season with great commitment and lots of passion, deserves our highest acknowledgement. My congratulations to all customer teams and drivers for the achieved motorsports successes. I also want to thank all employees in Affalterbach, who have contributed to many victories.”

Jochen Bitzer, Head of AMG Customer Sports: “I want to thank all teams and drivers for a successful year. Six titles, 34 victories and two first places as well as numerous podium positions in endurance races again demonstrate the high reliability and competitiveness of the SLS AMG GT3. Also in the fourth year of our Customer Sports Program, the race gullwing achieved numerous successes around the globe. In order to offer our customer teams a good basis for further sporty successes, we are going to extend the support in a targeted way in 2015 and are already looking forward to the new season.”

Since the beginning of the AMG Customer Sports Program in the end of 2010, the SLS AMG GT3 achieved no fewer than 182 overall victories, 98 pole positions and 930 top 10 positions. In the 2014 motorsports season, the race gullwing started in 19 race series as well as 9 endurance races on four continents. To this day, more than 80 vehicles were sold on the globe.

Especially the six championship titles won in race series around the globe stand out in 2014. Whether in Europe, Asia or Australia – the customer teams achieved impressive victories with the SLS AMG GT3. An overview of all championship titles of 2014:

In all events of the “24h series”, AMG Customer Sport teams reached podium positions. The team Hofor Racing stood on the podium after each endurance race of the “24h series”.

In the 12-hour race of Bathurst (AUS) and the highlight of the season, the 24-hour race at Nürburgring (GER), AMG Customer Sport teams respectively won the second and third overall position.

Start into the 2015 Motorsports Season in the 24 Hours of Dubai

To conclude this year’s race season, AMG Customer Sport teams are again facing their competitors in two races of the Asian Le Mans Series. Three SLS AMG GT3 are planned to participate in the 12-hour race of Abu Dhabi (UAE) on 13 December 2014. Twelve race gullwings are scheduled on the provisional entry list of the first challenge in 2015, the 24-hour race of Dubai (UAE, 9th to 10th January 2015).

New in the 2015 Season: AMG Customer Sports Championship

In 2015, Mercedes-AMG is going to extend its program by a new, worldwide competition. The AMG Customer Sports Championship rewards drivers and teams for their performance with the SLS AMG GT3. From 1 December 2014 to 30 November 2015, participators can collect points with their race results. There are ratings in the categories PRO DRIVER, DRIVER and TEAM. After the end of the season, the competitors with the most points can win attractive prizes from Mercedes-AMG and the cooperation partners IWC Schaffhausen and Rotwild.

Preview: Mercedes-AMG GT3 Starts in 2016

Mercedes-AMG GmbH continues with their Customer Sports Program: The new Mercedes-AMG GT3 will be launched in 2016. The intense testing and development period for the race edition of the new sports car based on the street version, the Mercedes-AMG GT, is going to start next year.

The support service for the SLS AMG GT3 will naturally continue after the launch of the Mercedes-AMG GT3. The supply of spare parts and the service support are guaranteed in the future. All teams further on starting with the race gullwing can thus make their long-term planning and can rely on the usual full support by AMG Customer Sports.

17.Nov 2014

A 1-2 in the Macau Grand Prix

Last weekend, 35 competitors, including four SLS AMG GT3s, raced in the Macau Grand Prix at the Guia Circuit.

The two gullwings of the Mercedes-AMG Driving Academy team shone with a 1-2 in the GT Cup at the 6.120 kilometers long circuit. Ex-DTM driver Maro Engel already showed a convincing performance in qualifying with his #5 SLS AMG GT3, unaffected by the turmoil at the narrow street circuit with numerous yellow and two red flags after incidents. With his fourth-fastest time, he got himself a top position on the starting grid. His Dutch team-mate Renger van der Zande was one row further down the grid in sixth place with the #6 sister car.

After a strong start, Engel and van der Zande led the field and were in control over the entire race distance of twelve laps. With a margin of 1.223 seconds, the 29-year-old German finished first in the race. The Dutchman came second and also set the fastest lap time of the race. In the 2013 Macau Grand Prix, Engel retired due to a puncture while in the lead with two laps remaining. With his victory, Engel now more than made up for his untimely retirement from the previous year.

AMG Customer Sports Team AAI Motorsports also sent a pair of gullwings to Macau. The #90 SLS AMG GT3 with Takeshi Tsuchiya behind the wheel started from seventh place and remained in the top ten throughout the race. On the final lap, however, Tsuchiya became involved in an accident and lost several positions. Eventually, he crossed the finish line in 14th place. With the #93 sister car, Carlo van Dam started 18th on the grid at the Guia Circuit. The Dutchman finished two places behind his AAI Motorsports team-mate in 16th place.

17.Nov 2014

Victory in Super GT finale in Japan

Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Björn Wirdheim crowned last weekend’s Super GT Series GT300 season finale (round eight) at Twin Ring Motegi with a victory – just like 2013. Thus, the duo secured the teams’ title for the AMG Customer Sports Team GAINER.

With the #11 GAINER DIXCEL SLS AMG GT3, Hiranaka/Wirdheim started from pole position into the season finale, covering a distance of 250 kilometers. They dominantly defended their lead until the finish. With an advantage of one lap, the #11 gullwing ended up first in the race. For Hiranaka/Wirdheim, this was the first victory of the season in the Super GT series.

In the drivers’ standings, the two were equal on points with the newly-crowned champions who secured the Super GT SERIES GT300 drivers’ title based on their better individual results over the course of the season.

Masayuki Ueda and Hideki Yamauchi raced the team’s second car, the #10 GAINER Rn-SPORTS SLS. Following their eighth place in qualifying, the Japanese duo still managed to score a top five result in this race: the #10 gullwing crossed the finish line in fifth place.

One place further down, Haruki Kurosawa and Naoya Gamou finished sixth in the final round of the season with their #65 SLS AMG GT3 of the AMG Customer Sports Team LEON RACING. In the final teams’ standings, LEON RACING ended up eighth.

Masaki Jonai and Hisashi Wada also raced at the Twin Ring and did so for R’Qs Motor-Sports. With their #22 GREENTEC SLS AMG GT3, the Japanese driver pairing qualified eleventh and was classified 14th in the Super GT season finale. Thus, R’Qs MotorSports ended up 18th in the teams’ standings at the end of the season.

Top ten results in the V8 Supercars Championship

In qualifying for the first of the three 45 minutes’ races of this V8 event (round 33), Will Davison was classified 14th with the #9 E63 AMG Supercar V8. In the subsequent race, the Australian managed to make up two places at Phillip Island Circuit and ended up twelfth. His team-mate Lee Holdsworth had claimed 20th place on the grid with his #44 sister car and finished 20th in the race.

In season round 34, Davison, who started from P14, crossed the finish line in 14th place. Holdsworth, who started from 21st position on the grid at the 4.45 kilometers long track, took the checkered flag in 22nd place.

In the final race of the weekend, covering 200 kilometers, Davison managed to end the event on a high for Erebus Motorsport V8: the 32-year-old started from P12. In the hotly-contested race, he managed to make up six places and only just missed out on a top five result by finishing sixth. Thus, Davison still secured himself the possibility to conclude the V8 Supercars season in the top ten in the season finale in Sydney. His team-mate Holdsworth, who started the race right behind Davison, lost some positions in the crowded pitlane during an early safety car phase. He returned into the field in 19th place and then started making up for ground lost with his #4 E63 AMG Supercar. He took the checkered flag in 14th place.

The upcoming season finale, the Sydney NRMA 500 race, will be held from December 5-7.

10.Nov 2014

Victory in Australian GT season finale in New Zealand and championship title for Richard Muscat

Driving the SLS AMG GT3 #36 of EREBUS Motorsport GT, Richard Muscat won both races in the Australian GT season finale at Highlands Motorsport Park and thus also secured the championship title.

A rookie driver in the Australian GT series, Muscat had been leading the points’ standings from the very first round onwards. In New Zealand, he only needed two more podium finishes to secure the championship title. In the sixth season round, the Erebus Academy driver managed to achieve this, seemingly without too much effort, with a margin of 53 points over the runner-up.

In the first race at the 4.5 km long track, the 22-year-old started from P2. Among the 28 competitors, Muscat finished first in the race that was stopped a few minutes early following an accident. In the process, the #36 SLS AMG GT3 not only set the fastest lap time on lap 3, but also established a new lap record at Highlands.

In the second of the two 40 minutes’ races, the Australian then scored another podium success. After 22 laps, he claimed his second victory of the weekend and his seventh win in the Australian GT Series season.

As a result, the EREBUS Motorsport GT team also celebrated its maiden Australian GT title win.

Australian GT (New Zealand):

Race 1:1st place, #36 EREBUS Motorsport GT, Richard Muscat (AUS)

Race 2:1st place, #36 EREBUS Motorsport GT, Richard Muscat (AUS)

10.Nov 2014

A dramatic end to the Highlands 101 race

Last Sunday, Highlands Motorsport Park also served as the venue for the second running of the Highland 101 race.

In the three-hour endurance race, Richard Muscat raced the SLS AMG GT3 #36 of EREBUS Motorsport GT together with his team-mate Craig Baird from New Zealand.

In qualifying, Muscat/Baird set the fourth fastest lap time among the 34 competitors. The duo having led the race for 90 laps, Muscat/Baird were beaten only a few hundred meters before the end. Like 13 other cars, the #36 gullwing failed to finish the race.

10.Nov 2014

Grand Prix of Brazil brings eleventh 1-2 for the Silver Arrows

A new record in the Grand Prix of Brasil: at Sao Paulo, Nico Rosberg wins from his team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Together, the two Silver Arrow drivers improved their own record at Interlagos, scoring their eleventh 1-2 in the current season.

In qualifying already, everything looked set for victory by the German MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS driver. Rosberg claimed pole position with a margin of 33 thousandths of a second from Hamilton. With his tenth pole of the season, the 29-year-old secured himself the inaugural Pole Position Trophy with one round to spare. With 1:10.023 minutes, he also set the best pole-winning time ever achieved at Interlagos. The current record was a time of 1:10.646 minutes set by Rubens Barrichello in 2004.

Team-mate Hamilton completed the lock out of the front row on the grid. Thus, the two Silver Arrows started from the front row for the eleventh time this season and the seventh time in a row.

In the race, Rosberg beat Hamilton in a thrilling duel at the 4.3 km long Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace and scored his fifth victory of the season. The second-placed Brit scored his 15th podium finish at Sao Paulo.

With their 15th season win, the Silver Arrows equalled the record of the most victories in a season established by McLaren in 1988.

This creates plenty of excitement for the season finale at Abu Dhabi: Hamilton and Rosberg are 17 points apart in the drivers’ standings.

Moreover, MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS has scored 651 points in the manufacturers’ world championship, the highest number of points ever achieved in one season.

The 19th and final Formula 1 race (Abu Dhabi Grand Prix) will be held at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, November 23rd, 2014.

03.Nov 2014

Blancpain Sprint Series season finale: Maximilian Götz is the new champion

Four AMG Customer Sport Teams entered a total of six gullwings for the final round of the 2014 Blancpain Sprint Series, the Baku World Challenge in Azerbaijan.

H.T.P. Motorsport is the most successful Customer Sports Team in the Blancpain Sprint Series. In Baku, the team claimed the runner-up spot in the teams’ classification while Maximilian Götz crowned himself as the series’ new champion. His team-mate Maximilian Buhk became runner-up. With three wins during the season and a margin of 27 points, ninth place in the qualifying race was enough for the German pairing with the number #84 SLS AMG GT3 to secure first and second place in the Blancpain Sprint Series Cup with a total of 142 and 126 points respectively.

The inaugural Blancpain GT Series, the overall classification from the addition of the Sprint Series and the Endurance Series, was decided during the Baku World Challenge as well. The number #84 gullwing started from P7 into the main race, but became innocently involved in an accident and retired. As a result, title hopes for Buhk were blown. Eventually, the 21-year-old became runner-up while team-mate Götz ended up third in the final standings. H.T.P. Motorsport also secured runner-up spot in the Blancpain GT Series teams’ classification.

Sergei Afanasiev and Stef Dusseldorp shared driving duties in the number #85 sister car. The duo wasn’t classified in the qualifying race due to an accident and retired early from the main race due to a damaged radiator. Lucas Wolf and Luca Stolz raced the third H.T.P. Motorsport SLS AMG GT3 with number #86 in the Silver Cup class. Accident damage from the qualifying race prevented them from taking part in the main race.

AMG Customer Sports Team ZAKSPEED entered Alon Day and Andreas Simonsen for the season finale with the number #13 gullwing. The duo started 13th on the grid for the sprint race, managed to make up three places and scored a top ten result by finishing tenth.

Immediately behind them, Miguel Toril and Benjamin Hetherington finished eleventh for Fortec Motorsports. In the qualifying race, the duo had claimed 16th place on the grid with the number #63 SLS AMG GT3 and made good progress with fast laps in the main race. For this performance, Toril/Hetherington were rewarded with the class win, the Silver Cup, in Baku. In the Blancpain Sprint Series Silver Cup drivers’ standings, Toril ended up third with 132 points. His team-mate Hetherington, who shared driving duties with Toril on the final two weekends of the season, was classified sixth. Fortec Motorsports came third in the final teams’ standings.

Alexei Vasiliev and Marko Asmer (#177) scored the best season result to date for the new AMG Customer Sports Team GT Russian Team. After their 18th place finish in the qualifying race, they were classified twelfth in the main race. Thus, they also secured the Blancpain Sprint Series Pro-AM Trophy in the final round of the season. In the final drivers’ standings of the Pro-AM Trophy, Vasiliev/Asmer are third. The GT Russian Team also crowned its Blancpain Sprint Series debut season with third place in the final PRO-AM Trophy teams’ standings.

03.Nov 2014

Tenth 1-2 for MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS in United States Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has won the United States Grand Prix. Thus, the Brit repeated his success from 2012 at the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas.

Less than five seconds down, his German team-mate Nico Rosberg followed in second place.

In front of a good crowd, Hamilton started from second place on the grid last Sunday and managed to score his fifth consecutive victory. With this result, the Brit brought his season total to ten race wins. Thus, the 29-year-old has won more Formula 1 races than any other British driverwith a career total of 32.

In qualifying, Rosberg had claimed pole posi-tion. Thus, the two MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS drivers locked out the front row of the grid for the sixth time in a row. After a thrilling duel, however, Rosberg had to hand the lead to his British team-mate in corner twelve and dropped back to second.

With this sensational performance, the Silver Arrows not only scored the team’s tenth 1-2 of the season, they also set a new benchmark and beat McLaren’s existing record from 1988.

The 1-2 brought Hamilton and Rosberg another 25 and 18 points respectively for the drivers’ standings. Respectively, they are now 102 and 78 points ahead of third-placed Ricciardo. This means that only a driver of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team is in the position to win the 2014 drivers’ World Championship title.

The 18th Formula 1 season round, the Grand Prix of Brazil, will be held in Sao Paulo, November 9, 2014.

27.Oct 2014

Season finale of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring

Three AMG Customer Sport Teams entered their gullwings for the tenth and final VLN round of the season, the 39th DMV Münsterlandpokal.

Michael Kroll, Roland Eggimann and Kenneth Heyer shared driving duties in Hofor Racing’s number #50 SLS AMG GT3. On a wet track, the trio was 27th in qualifying. In a turbulent VLN season finale, the gullwing team pushed hard and was in seventh place after four laps already. Until the halfway point, Kroll/Eggimann/Heyer were even in P3, but then dropped back. Eventually, they were classified 25th overall and seventh in their class.

Bert Flossbach and Andreas Weiland drove the second SLS AMG GT3 in the field, the number #18 Weiland Racing entry. The duo started from P41. Towards the end of the first quarter of the race, Weiland/Flossbach retired due to an accident and weren’t classified.

The third entered AMG Customer Sports Team, Car Collection Motorsport, saw its number #33 gullwing sidelined from the race following an accident. Johannes Siegler, Patrik Kaiser and Klaus Koch were the designated drivers. Siegler having set good lap times in qualifying to secure 28th place on the grid, team-mate Kaiser hit the Armco barriers at the ‘Hohe Acht’ section of the track. After the impact, participation in the race was no longer a possibility.

27.Oct 2014

Italian GT season finale

AMG Customer Sports Team Sports & You competed with its drivers Luís Silva and António Coimbra in the final round of the Italian GT series at Monza. With the number #25 gullwing, the two Portuguese were 18th in first qualifying. In the first race at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, they were classified 19th overall and twelfth in the GT3 class.

For the second race on Sunday, Silva/Coimbra had claimed twelfth place on the grid. Damage incurred in the first race prevented the SLS AMG GT3 from taking part in the second race.

27.Oct 2014

GT Tour season finale

Driving the number #66 SLS AMG GT3, AMG Customer Sports Pool Driver Thomas Jäger and Mario Plachutta represented the AMG Customer Sports Team Lechner Racing in the seventh and final round of the FFSA GT Tour.

Having started from fourth place on the grid at the Paul Ricard circuit, Jäger/Plachutta finished twelfth out of 26 competitors in the first race. They also came twelfth in class.

For the second of the two 60 minutes’ races in the GT Tour season finale, the duo had secured seventh place on the grid. After thrilling battles, they took the checkered flag in 13th place. In the ‘Championnat de France’ class, they were twelfth.

27.Oct 2014

V8 Supercars Championship

Last weekend, 35 competitors raced each other in rounds 31 and 32 of the V8 Supercars Championship at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit.

At the 2.960 kilometers long street circuit, the Erebus Motorsport V8 team ran the number #9 E63 AMG Supercar V8 for Will and Alex Davison. In qualifying for the first race of the weekend, Will Davison claimed 17th place on the grid. After a longer pit stop for repair work, the E 63 AMG Supercar V8 crossed the finish line in 21st place.

In round 32 of the V8 Supercars Championship, the Davisons started from P5. Initially, the two Australians fell behind to seventh place, but a broken radiator was the reason that they were classified 21st after 102 laps.

Lee Holdsworth and Craig Baird raced the number #4 sister car in the 31st round. After fast laps in qualifying, Holdsworth claimed seventh place on the grid in the top 10 shootout. With his co-driver Baird, Holdsworth finished twelfth in the race. In the second race, the duo started from P15. The number #4 E63 AMG Supercar V8 was an early retirement following an accident on lap 20.

The next V8 Supercars Championship round takes place at Phillip Island Circuit, November 14-16.

20.Oct 2014

Second victory in a row in Blancpain Sprint Series

A strong presence of gullwings in round six of the Blancpain Sprint Series: among the 25 cars that took the start in Zolder in Belgium, there were five SLS AMG GT3s, entered by three AMG Customer Sports Teams.

Once again, the AMG Customer Sports Team H.T.P. Motorsport emerged as the most suc-cessful representative for the cars built in Affalterbach: At the 4.004 kilometers long Circuit Zolder, Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz (#84) scored their third victory of the season. In the qualifying race, Maximilian Götz drove the first stint with the number #84 SLS AMG GT3. After the driver change to Buhk, the latter managed to further work his way up in the top ten and eventually cross the finish line in sixth place overall. In the main race on Sunday, Buhk laid the foundation for the duo’s third victory in this year’s Blancpain Sprint Series already in the first few laps of the race. After a quick put stop, Götz succeeded in safely bringing victory home. Thus, Götz (142 points) and Buhk (126 points) are now in the lead of the drivers’ standings.

With the sister car of H.T.P. Motorsport (#85), Sergei Afanasiev and Stef Dusseldorp only just missed out on a podium finish as they were classified fourth. In the qualifying race, car number #85 finished in eleventh place. In the main race, Dusseldorp/Afanasiev managed to make up a total of seven positions to take the checkered flag in fourth place. With 35 points, the two are tied in ninth place of the drivers’ standings.

Lucas Wolf and Luca Stolz shared driving duties in the third H.T.P. Motorsport gullwing (#86) in the Silver Cup class. After their 19th place in the qualiying race, the duo finished twelfth in the main race. Wolf/Stolz were second in their class. In the teams’ standings, H.T.P. Motorsport is currently in the lead with a margin of ten points.

For Fortec Motorsports, Miguel Toril and Benjamin Hetherington shared driving duties in the number #63 gullwing. After not being classified in the qualifying race, Toril/Hetherington finished 14th overall in the main race. In the Silver Cup classification, they ended up third.

Alexei Vasiliev and Marko Asmer drove the number #177 SLS AMG GT3 for the GT Russian Team in the PRO-AM class. In the qualifying race, Vasiliev/Asmer were 20th. An accident in the first half of the race led to the early retirement for the number #177 SLS AMG GT3 in the main race.

The Baku World Challenge in Azerbaijan, November 1-2, concludes the 2014 Blancpain Sprint Series.

20.Oct 2014

An STT podium finish and the national STT championship title for Josef Klüber

Josef Klüber competed in the seventh and final round of the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy at the Nürburgring with the Car Collection Motorsport SLS AMG GT3 #4. In almost summerly weather conditions, the German managed to score another two class wins and thus secured the national STT championship title.

In first qualifying already, Klüber convinced in the 31 cars strong field and claimed third place on the grid for the first race. After 13 laps, the number #4 gullwing was fifth across the finish line and first in class 1.

In second qualifying, Klüber claimed pole position for the final STT race, in which he took the checkered flag in third place overall and as the winner of his class.

With this strong performance, Josef Klüber managed to win the title in the national championship in his first full season in the STT.

STT - Special Touring Car Trophy (Germany):

Race 1:5th place, #4 Car Collection Motorsport, Josef Klüber (GER)

Race 2:3rd place, #4 Car Collection Motorsport, Josef Klüber (GER)

20.Oct 2014

Fourth place in the DTM season finale

A home race at the Hockenheimring concluded the DTM season in which the series celebrated its 30th anniversary. The event attracted a total weekend crowd of 155,000 spectators.

The most successful Mercedes-Benz driver, Paul Di Resta (DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) finished fourth in the season finale, two tenths of a second down on third place. In the course of the race, he made up six places from tenth position on the grid. Audi driver Mattias Ekström emerged as the race winner.

There was bad luck for Robert Wickens (FREE MAN’S WORLD Mercedes AMG C-Coupé). The Canadian, who had started from P12, was eighth at Hockenheim, but was given a 30 seconds’ time penalty after the race due to a collision. As a result, the Mercedes-Benz driver loses his top ten result and drops back to 17th place.

Gary Paffett (EURONICS Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) was 16th in qualifying and finished eleventh in the final round of the season. The Brit benefited from Wickens’s penalty and moves up one place to tenth in the classification.

Christian Vietoris (Original-Teile Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) started from 22nd place into the final race of the year and finished 15th. After Wickens’s penalty, Vietoris moves up into 14th place.

Pascal Wehrlein (gooix Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) starts from sixth place in the home race for Mercedes-Benz, the tenth and final round of the 2014 season. Just before the end of the race, he retired, but was still classified 20th.

Daniel Juncadella (PETRONAS MERCEDES AMG C-Coupé) and Vitaly Petrov (DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) started from P17 and P23 respectively, but didn’t make it to the finish in the DTM finale. Juncadella and Petrov were classified in 18th and 21st place.

13.Oct 2014

Victory in the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring

A successful final dash in the VLN: last weekend’s penultimate season round, the ROWE DMV 250 miles race, brought victory for the AMG Customer Sports Team ROWE RACING. In total, five SLS AMG GT3 raced on the combination of the Grand Prix track and the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring.

Qualifying already caused excitement: no less than three drivers managed to post lap times below the magic barrier of eight minutes and among them was Christian Hohenadel with the ROWE RACING gullwing number #6. The fabulous time of 7:59.797 minutes resulted into third place on the grid for his team-mate Maro Engel, who took the lead on the third lap of the race. During the second scheduled pit stop after a double stint, he handed the car to Hohenadel while in the lead. The latter added further fast lap times and brought victory home after the planned duration of four hours.

Bert Flossbach and Anders Buchardt raced Weiland Racing’s number #18 gullwing. The duo started from P28 and worked its way up to 20th place in the first six laps. Flossbach and Buchardt kept the front-runners within reach and managed to make up another five places. Thus, they crossed the finish line in 15th place overall, ending up eighth in their class SP9.

Andreas Simonsen, Hubert Haupt, David Jahn and Tim Scheerbarth were the drivers of the SLS AMG GT3 number #3, run by AMG Customer Sports Team Black Falcon. In qualifying, the Black Falcon quartet had also got itself into an excellent position for the race with a sixth place on the grid. In the race, the gullwing was a consistent front-runner. Everything looked set for a top ten result, until a puncture, as a result of a collision, caused retirement with only a few minutes remaining.

Kenneth Heyer, Michael Kroll and Roland Eggimann started the VLN race from 16th place for AMG Customer Sports Team Hofor Racing. After six laps, the number #50 gullwing was in seventh place, but Heyer, Kroll and Eggimann retired due to an accident soon after that.

AMG Customer Sports Team Car Collection Motorsport had entered its number #33 gull-wing with Peter Schmidt, Johannes Siegler and Patrik Kaiser on the Nordschleife. In qualifying, the team claimed 29th place and in the race, they went off to a good start. Just after the first quarter of the race, however, the SLS AMG GT3 was excluded following an infringement.

The final round of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring takes place on October 25th.

13.Oct 2014

Two DMV TCC podium finishes and the championship title for Frederic Yerly

The Hockenheimring served as the venue for last weekend’s DMV TCC season finale.

In the field of 31 competitors, Frederic Yerly raced the number #70 gullwing for AMG Customer Sports Team ANTeam. The Swiss once again showed a convincing performance with a pair of podium finishes.

In the first of the two races of 30 minutes each, Yerly started from fifth place, made up three positions and finished second overall and in class. In the second race, the final race of the season, Yerly added another podium finish after his third place from qualifying: he took the checkered flag in third place. In his class, he ended up second.

After this successful DMV TCC season, Frederic Yerly won the championship title and will have the honor of racing with starting number #1 in 2015.

13.Oct 2014

Asian Le Mans raced in Shanghai

The Shanghai International Circuit hosted last weekend’s third round of the Asian Le Mans Series.

Eight competitors took the start in the Shanghai 3-hour race, among them the number #90 gullwing of AMG Customer Sports Team AAI Motorsports.

Lam Yu, Takeshi Tsuchiya and Matsui Takamitsu alternated behind the wheel of the SLS AMG GT3. In qualifying, Tsuchiya se-cured third place as the fastest driver from the GT class. As the starting driver, he kept the front runners within reach during his stint and handed the car to his team-mate Yu while leading his class. After 96 laps, the #90 SLS AMG GT3 finished fifth overall. In its class, the trio ended up third.

The Asian Le Mans Series season finale will take place at Sepang in Malaysia, December 5th - 7th.

13.Oct 2014

Fourth place in Italian GT

The sixth round of the Italian GT Champion-ship took place in Imola last weekend.

At the 4.909 kilometers long Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, the AMG Customer Sports Team Sports & You only just missed out on a podium finish. With the number #24 gullwing, Francisco Mora started from eleventh on the grid into the first race. At a dry track, the Portuguese managed to make up seven places and took the checkered flag in fourth place. The #25 sister car with Luís Silva and António Coimbra behind the wheel followed immediately behind in twelfth place on the starting grid. After ten laps, Coimbra/Silva retired from the first race.

In the second race on Sunday, Mora started from P12 with the number #90 car. In fierce duels, Mora held on to his top five positions and finished third. After the race, however, Mora was excluded from the results due to misbehavior on the track.

Team-mates Coimbra/Silva ended up 25th in qualifying, but didn’t take part in the second race.

The Monza round from October 24th-26th is the season finale of the Italian GT Championship.

13.Oct 2014

A turbulent V8 Supercars Championship weekend

The Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst hosted the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, the 30th round of the V8 Supercars Championship last weekend.

The endurance race got underway on Sunday at 10.30 am local time. 25 competitors raced for points in front of over 195,000 spectators.

In qualifying, Erebus Motorsport V8 driver Will Davison secured 16th place on the grid. Together with his brother Alex, he was classified fourth after 161 laps with the E63 AMG Supercar V8 #4.

Driving the #9 sister car, Lee Holdsworth followed immediately behind Davison in qualifying and started the race from P17, together with Craig Baird. After an accident on lap 132, the duo retired from the race.

In the teams’ standings, Erebus Motorsport V8 is currently in sixth place. In the drivers’ championship, Will Davison moved up to tenth place with a total of 1,542 points. Lee Holdsworth is classified 19th, Alex Davison is in 32nd place. Craig Baird is 52nd and last in the standings.

The next event on the V8 calendar is the CASTROL EDGE GOLD COAST 600 race at Queensland, October 24th-26th.

13.Oct 2014

Another 1-2 in the Russian Grand Prix and the constructors’ title in the bag

Last weekend, the Olympic city of Sochi hosted the Russian Grand Prix for the first time. The result was almost identical to the success from Japan: victory for Lewis Hamilton, second place for team-mate Nico Rosberg.

The warm and sunny conditions at the Sochi Autodrome seemed to suit the Silver Arrows perfectly. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg ended up first and second in qualifying for the Russian Grand Prix. Thus, the team started the race with both drivers on the front row of the grid for the fifth time in a row and the ninth time this season.

After their impressive performance in qualifying, the two drivers of the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS team continued with a spectacular race, in which Lewis Hamilton claimed victory in the inaugural Russian Grand Prix in an impressive manner. Nico Rosberg finished second after an unscheduled pit stop on lap one and good progress after that.

It is the ninth 1-2 for the team this season. Thus, Mercedes AMG PETRONAS won the Formula 1 constructors’ title. For the first time in its 120 years of motorsport history, Mercedes-Benz managed to decide the constructors’ world championship in its favour.

With this success, the two Mercedes AMG PETRONAS drivers extended their margin in the points’ standings. Hamilton is leading in the drivers’ championship with 291 points. His German team-mate is in second place, 17 points down.

The next Formula 1 race, the United States Grand Prix, takes place at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, November 2nd

06.Oct 2014

A 1-2 in the twelve-hour race in Hungary

Two AMG Customer Sport Teams competed in the twelve-hour race at the Hungaroring near Budapest on Saturday and scored a 1-2.

Participating in a twelve-hour race for the first time, the SPS automotive performance team scored the overall win. Valentin Pierburg, Tim Müller and AMG Customer Sports Pool Driver Lance David Arnold started from second place on the grid and showed a faultless performance with their SLS AMG GT3. In spite of changeable and at times difficult conditions, the trio remained unfazed and secured victory in a thrilling duel with Hofor Racing’s SLS AMG GT3.

Roland Eggimann, Michael Kroll, Kenneth Heyer and Christiaan Frankenhout shared driving duties in the Hofor Racing SLS AMG GT3 with starting number #1. In qualifying, Frankenhout set the fastest lap time of 1:46.787 minutes, 0.419 seconds faster than Lance David Arnold in the SPS automotive performance Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. Thus, he secured pole position for himself and his team. After 345 laps of racing, the gullwing of Hofor Racing finished second, only 36.795 seconds down on the winners. The quartet was within striking distance of the leaders until the very end.

With this 1-2, at least one gullwing finished on the podium in every endurance race of this year’s 24H Series.

06.Oct 2014

A successful ADAC GT Masters finale

One pole position, one fastest race lap, two podium finishes and six top ten results – that was the successful score of the three AMG Customer Sport Teams from the final weekend of this year’s ADAC GT Masters at the Hockenheimring.

Luca Ludwig and Harald Schlegelmilch had claimed pole position for the race on Saturday with the #21 SLS AMG GT3. The BKK Mobil Oil Racing Team Zakspeed duo took the lead at the start of the race and remained in control for almost the entire duration of the race. With three laps to go, however, the gullwing was overtaken; Ludwig/Schlegelmilch finished second. With 1:41.130 minutes, Ludwig also set the fastest race lap.

ROWE RACING’s #23 SLS AMG GT3 started sixth on the grid for the penultimate race of the year. Maro Engel and Jan Seyffarth made up one place and defended fifth place until the finish in a commanding way. Jaime Alguersuari and Nico Bastian started from P10 with ROWE RACING’s #22 sister car. They also managed to hold on to their top ten position and crossed the finish line in ninth place.

For AMG Customer Sports Team H.T.P. Mo-torsport, Luca Stolz and Maximilian Götz drove the number #27 gullwing. The duo started from eleventh place, but lost valuable positions at the start. During the race, Götz/Stolz worked their way back into the top ten and finished in eighth place.

In the race on Sunday, Götz and Stolz did even better for H.T.P. Motorsport. They made good progress through the field from seventh on the grid. In the closing stages, they even managed to secure a podium finish and came home third.

With a strong performance in their BKK Mobil Oil Racing Team Zakspeed SLS AMG GT3, Luca Ludwig and Harald Schlegelmilch managed to convert their 22nd place on the starting grid into a ninth-place finish.

On the other hand, there was bad luck for ROWE RACING’s two gullwings that were unable to finish the last race of the season due to collisions.

In the final standings of the 2014 ADAC GT Masters, H.T.P. Motorsport is classified fifth, followed by ROWE RACING in seventh and BKK Mobil Oil Racing Team Zakspeed in eighth place.

Fifth in the final drivers’ standings, Maximilian Götz is the best-placed SLS AMG GT3 driver in the Masters.

06.Oct 2014

A class win in the STT at the Nürburgring

Once again, Josef Klüber competed for the AMG Customer Sports Team Car Collection Motorsport (#44) in round six of the Special Tourenwagen Trophy at the Nürburgring.

In first qualifying, the German secured third place on the grid for the first 30 minutes’ race. After a trilling battle for the lead, Klüber finished third. Thus, he won in Class 1.

Due to thick fog around the Nürburgring, the second race on Sunday had to be cancelled.

Klüber remains in the lead of the drivers’ standings with 217 points. In a fortnight, he can wrap up the championship title at the Nürburgring. The seventh and final round of the 2014 STT takes place on October 17 and 18.

STT - Special Touring Car Trophy (Germany):

Race 1:3rd place, #4 Car Collection,Josef Klüber (GER)

Race 2:Cancelled due to fog

06.Oct 2014

A pair of top ten results in the Super GT Series in Thailand

Last weekend, the Chang International Circuit in the Thai province of Buriram was the venue for the seventh round of the Super GT Series. Once again, four SLS AMG GT3s entered by three AMG Customer Sport Teams, were present on the starting grid.

For the AMG Customer Sports Team GAINER, Björn Wirdheim and Katsuyuki Hiranaka scored a top ten classification with the GAINER DIXCEL SLS #11. Having secured 18th place in qualifying, Hiranaka/Wirdheim managed to make up no less than ten positions in the race. They finished in eighth place and thus were able to maintain their second position in the drivers’ standings.

Masayuki Ueda and Hideki Yamauchi started their hunt for points with the sister car, the Rn-SPORTS DIXCEL SLS with starting number #10. After second place in qualifying, the two Japanese were classified eleventh in the race. In the drivers’ standings, they are in 19th place.

Hisashi Wada and Masaki Jonai raced the SLS AMG GT3 (#22) of AMG Customer Sports Team R’Qs MotorSports. Having started from seventh place on the grid, the GreenTEC SLS AMG GT3 crossed the finish line in tenth place. Currently, Wada and Jonai are 65 points down on the leaders in 32nd and 33rd place of the drivers’ standings.

AMG Customer Sports Team LEON RACING was rather unfortunate: Haruki and Tsubasa Kurosawa claimed 19th place in qualifying with their gullwing with starting number #65. In the race, the two drivers retired following an accident. In the teams’ standings, LEON RACING is currently seventh.

The Super GT Series finale (round eight) takes place at Motegi in Japan, November 15 and 16.

06.Oct 2014

A 1-2 in the Japanese Grand Prix

At the demanding Suzuka International Racing Course, MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS scored a 1-2 for the eighth time this season. Lewis Hamilton is the winner of the Japanese Grand Prix. His team-mate Nico Rosberg finished second. Thus, the Brit remains on top in the points’ standings (266 points). Ten points down, team-mate Rosberg follows in second place.

In qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg secured pole position. His team-mate Lewis Hamilton also started from the front row of the grid after qualifying second. At Suzuka, both drivers of the team claimed a grid position on the front row for the fourth consecutive time.

Changeable weather conditions and numerous safety car interventions marked the race at Suzuka. Both drivers made two pit stops to change to intermediate tyres.

After an accident by Jules Bianchi at turn seven, the race was stopped early on lap 44. Currently, thoughts and prayers of all the teams go out to Bianchi, whose condition made the sporting success of secondary importance.

The next Formula 1 race is the Russian Grand Prix (round 16) on October 12, 2014. The race will be held at the newly-built Sochi International Street Circuit for the first time.

01.Oct 2014

Three DMV TCC podium finishes

A total of 26 participants competed in the penultimate round of the 2014 DMV Touring Car Challenge at the Red Bull Ring last weekend. Three AMG Customer Sport Teams with four SLS AMG GT3s had also made the journey to Spielberg.

Frederic Yerly raced the number #70 gullwing for the AMG Customer Sport Team ANTeam. During the weekend, the Swiss showed a convincing performance with one fourth and one second place. In the first race, in which he started from fourth place on the grid, Yerly only just missed out on a podium finish. In the second of the two races of 30 minutes each, the Swiss took his chance immediately after his start from fourth place on the grid and came to the fore. Yerly crossed the finish line in second place overall, which also made him second in his class.

For the ANTeam, Bruno Stucky drove the number #71 sister car. In the first race, in which the Swiss started from ninth place, he took the checkered flag in seventh position. After his eighth place in second qualifying, Stucky retired due to a technical problem in the second race. He was still classified 22nd overall. In his class, the Swiss ended up second (race 1) and seventh (race 2).

AMG Customer Sports Team db motorsport ran its number #1 SLS AMG GT3 with Markus Weege and AMG Customer Sports Pool driver Karl Wendlinger in the races. The duo scored top results on both occasions: Weege, who started his race from sixth place on the grid, made up three positions and crossed the finish line in third. His team-mate Wendlinger managed to repeat this performance in the second race in an almost identical manner. After his start from P3, he also scored a podium finish by coming home third overall.

AMG Customer Sports Team Land Motorsport wasn’t able to race for points following an accident in first qualifying. Christian Land was fifth in qualifying, but a crash into the Armco barriers just before the end of the session left him sidelined for the rest of the weekend.

After the race weekend at the Red Bull Ring, the 2014 championship title is within reach for Frederic Yerly/Edwin Stucky. Both in the overall and in the class standings, the duo is currently placed second. Bruno Stucky follows in fourth place overall. Land Motorsport drivers Land/Eilentropp are currently 20th overall.

The DMV TCC season finale takes place at the Hockenheimring, October 10th until 11th.

01.Oct 2014

Fifth place in the DTM at Zandvoort

Three DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupés finished in the top ten in the penultimate DTM round at Zandvoort. In the spectacular race that was characterised by four safety car periods, Christian Vietoris (Original-Teile Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) scored the best result in fifth place.

In front of 20.000 spectators over the weekend, Vietoris started from 17th place into the race, in which he managed to make up no less than twelve positions. With 69 points, Vietoris is currently third in the drivers’ standings prior to the season finale at Hockenheim.

Daniel Juncadella concluded the race in eighth place. After the race, the Spaniard was given a drive-through penalty, which was converted into a 30 seconds’ time penalty. Thus, he dropped back to 17th place.

Gary Paffett (EURONICS Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Paul Di Resta (DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) retired from the race. Paffett was still classified, so that he ended up in 19th place at Circuit Park Zandvoort.

The tenth and final round of the DTM season will be held at the Hockenheimring, October 17th until 19th.

22.Sep 2014

A pair of podium finishes in the Blancpain Endurance Series

Last weekend, 40 entrants competed in the fifth and final round of the 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series at the Nürburgring, covering a distance of 1,000 kilometers. The field included five SLS AMG GT3 run by three AMG Customer Sport teams. They showed an impressive performance in the race in spite of adverse weather conditions with fog and downpours.

H.T.P. Motorsport finished second, 57.089 seconds down on the race winners, with its #85 gullwing driven by Maximilian Buhk, Sergei Afanasiev and Stef Dusseldorp. From seventh place on the grid, the gullwing of the trio got off to a good start, moved up to third place within the first few laps already and remained among the front runners throughout the distance. The team’s sister car (#84) was raced by Harold Primat, Nico Verdonck and AMG Customer Sports pool driver Bernd Schneider. The trio started the endurance race from eleventh place on the grid and finished 14th after the distance of 1,000 kilometers.

The AMG Customer Sports Team Black Falcon also scored a top team result at the Nürburgring, finishing third and sixth in the overall classification. Hubert Haupt, Abdulaziz Al Faisal and Andreas Simonsen raced the gullwing with number #19. The drivers of the sister car with number #18 were Vladimir Lunkin, Anders Fjordbach and Devon Modell. After a rather disappointing performance in qualifying (P17), the trio Haupt/Simonsen/Al Faisal showed an impressive display on Sunday. In the first half of the race, the SLS AMG GT3 #19 succeeded in getting ahead of all its rivals and dominated the race for several laps, followed by the two H.T.P. Motorsport gullwings. In the final third of the race, however, Haupt/Simonsen/Al Faisal had to give up the lead and crossed the finish line in third place. Youngsters Lunkin, Modell and Fjordbach started from 27th place on the grid with the #18 sister car. During the race, the trio of drivers managed to consistently work its way up through the ranks and were rewarded with sixth place overall. In their class, the PRO-AM Cup, Lunkin, Modell and Fjordbach were classified second.

The GT Russian Team had its first Blancpain Endurance Series race outing. Alexei Vasiliev, Marko Asmer and Karim Al Azhari raced in the PRO-AM class with the #82 SLS AMG GT3. The three having secured 15th place on the grid during the qualifying sessions, they had a turbulent race on Sunday. Vasiliev/Asmer/Al Azhari ran in the top ten for a while, but dropped back again and finished 24th overall in the final Blancpain Endurance Series round.

In the teams’ standings, H.T.P. Motorsport became runner-up in the Blancpain Endurance Series with 90 points. Black Falcon was in fifth place with 63 points.

22.Sep 2014

Four ADAC GT Masters top ten results at the Sachsenring

The Sachsenring served as the venue for the seventh round of the ADAC GT Masters last weekend. Three AMG Customer Sport Teams ran a total of four gullwings in the penultimate race meeting of the season that was marked by changeable weather conditions.

Jaime Alguersuari and Nico Bastian raced ROWE RACING’s number #22 gullwing. Jan Seyffarth and Maro Engel shared driving duties in the #23 sister car. For the race on Saturday, the ROWE RACING cars started from the sixth (#22 P12) and the seventh (#23 P13) row on the grid. A good start by Engel laid the foundation for the top ten result of the #23 car. Final driver Seyffarth continued the team’s progress after the mandatory pit stop and brought the gullwing home in sixth place. A pit lane speed infringement prevented a top ten result for Alguersuari/Bastian. Final driver Alguersuari crossed the finish line in eleventh place. In the race on Sunday, Alguersuari/Bastian, who had started from 13th place, finished seventh after 42 action-packed laps. The #23 sister car was held up after some cars in front got involved in an accident on the opening lap and lost some positions as a result. Seyffarth made it up into 13th place at the halfway point. After the driver change, Engel made up more positions and finished the race in eighth place.

For the AMG Customer Sports Team H.T.P. Motorsport, Luca Stolz and Maximilian Götz were racing the number #27 gullwing. Building on their fifth place in qualifying, Stolz/Götz finished seventh in the first race on Saturday in spite of a drive-through penalty. In the second race on Sunday, Götz and Stolz only just missed out on a top ten result. Having started from eighth place on the grid, starting driver Götz lost time due to an accident on the opening lap and dropped to the back of the field. A puncture as a result of the accident forced the driver to make a pit stop, causing further delay. In the remainder of the race, Götz and his team-mate Stolz were still able to make up no less than twelve places and took the checkered flag in eleventh place. Another success for Götz: the 28-year-old also set the fastest lap of the race.

Alon Day and Luca Ludwig raced the number #21 gullwing for the AMG Customer Sports Team BKK Mobil Oil Racing Team Zakspeed. In first qualifying, the duo secured ninth place on the starting grid for the race on Saturday, but Day and Ludwig had bad luck in the first race: due to an accident, they had to retire on the opening lap of the race already. On Sunday, the #21 SLS AMG GT3 started from eighth place at the Sachsenring and once again became in-volved in a collision right after the start. The car was able to continue its race and finished in 18th place.

In the teams’ standings after the penultimate round, H.T.P. Motorsport is ranked fifth, ROWE RACING is in seventh place, followed by the BKK Mobil Oil Racing Team Zakspeed in eighth position. Maximilian Götz remains the best-placed SLS AMG GT3 driver and is ranked fifth with a total of 117 points.

The ADAC GT Masters season finale takes place at the Hockenheimring, October 3rd until 5th.

22.Sep 2014

Victory in the Singapore Grand Prix

Thus, the 29-year-old continued his successful run following his victory at Monza: for the fifth time in his Formula 1 career, Lewis claimed pole position, drove the fastest race lap and secured victory on one race weekend. Under the floodlights, the Brit scored his 29th Formula 1 race win and his eighth victory for MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS.

Team-mate Nico Rosberg was less fortunate at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Having secured second place on the grid for the race in qualifying, he retired on lap 13 due to a problem with the wiring loom of the steering column. The problem was discovered on the way to the starting grid and was the reason that Nico was unable to select a gear after his first pit stop.

Lewis Hamilton is leading the drivers’ championship standings with 241 points. Team-mate Rosberg follows in second place, three points down.

The next Formula 1 race (Japanese Grand Prix) takes place at the Suzuka International Racing Course, October 5th.

15.Sep 2014

Three podium finishes in the Australian GT Championship

There were 22 competitors on the grid for last weekend’s fifth round of the Australian GT Championship at Sandown. The event consisted of three races with a duration of 40 minutes each.Australian driver Richard Muscat raced the SLS AMG GT3 #36 for the AMG Customer Sports Team EREBUS Motorsport GT.On Friday, the 22-year-old already showed a commanding performance as he claimed a front row starting grid position with the second-fastest time in qualifying. In the first race, Muscat was in the lead until the final quarter, but finally crossed the finish line in second place. In this race, the Australian set the fastest lap time (1:09.182 minutes). In the second race on Saturday afternoon, Muscat succeeded in gradually making his way up into the lead. Thus, Richard Muscat claimed victory in this race. The third race on Sunday was almost an identical affair as the Saturday morning race for the Australian: having started from first place on the grid, the SLS AMG GT3 #36 was in the lead until lap 20, but then dropped back one place. Muscat crowned the successful weekend for EREBUS Motorsport GT with another second place and once again set the fastest lap time in the race (1:09.270 minutes).

Muscat is leading in the drivers’ standings with 487 points. The sixth and final Australian GT round takes place at Highland Motorsport Park, November 8th until 9th. Australian GT (Australia):

Race 1:2nd place, #36 EREBUS Motorsport GT, Richard Muscat (AUS)

Race 2:1st place, #36 EREBUS Motorsport GT, Richard Muscat (AUS)

Race 3:2nd place, #36 EREBUS Motorsport GT, Richard Muscat (AUS)

15.Sep 2014

A Pirelli World Challenge class victory

Miller Motorsports Park was the venue for the final round of the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge.

In Tooele, Utah, Tim Pappas raced the SLS AMG GT3 #54 for the AMG Customer Sports Team Black Swan Racing. The driver from Boston ended up 13th in qualifying on Friday. In the first race of the weekend, Pappas had to retire due to a technical problem on lap nine. Nevertheless, he was classified with the time he had driven: Pappas was in 22nd place after this race and was eighth in his class.

In the second race, Pappas, who celebrated his 41st birthday on Sunday, again showed a strong performance: after 27 laps, the American took the Checkered flag in twelfth place overall and claimed victory in his class.

Pirelli World Challenge (USA):

Race 1:22nd place, #54 Black Swan Racing, Tim Pappas (USA)

Race 2:12th place, #54 Black Swan Racing, Tim Pappas (USA)

15.Sep 2014

Top ten finish in the GT Asia Series

Last weekend, rounds nine and ten of the GT Asia Series took place at the Sepang Interna-tional Circuit in Malaysia.

Björn Wirdheim and Michael Chua raced the SLS AMG GT3 with number #96 for the AMG Customer Sports Team MIKE RACING. In the qualifying sessions of 15 minutes each, Wirdheim put the gullwing in sixth place on the grid while Chua secured himself 17th position on the starting grid for the second race. In the first race, the duo initially held on to its good position and ranked among the front runners in the field of the 29 competitors. In the end, however, the team wasn’t classified because the driver change had taken place outside the des-ignated pit stop window.

For MIKE RACING, things were going better in the second race of the weekend: from 17th place on the grid, Wirdheim/Chua managed to make up eight positions. At the end of the one-hour race distance, they were classified ninth.

The next round of the GT Asia Series takes place at Shanghai International Circuit, October 10th until 12th.

15.Sep 2014

FIA CEZ

The season finale of the FIA CEZ (rounds 19 and 20) took place at the circuit of Brno in the Czech Republic last weekend.

In the second sprint race of the weekend, Rudolf Machánek raced the number #506 for the AMG Customer Sports Team TopCar Machánek. In the second race, the 63-year-old took the checkered flag in 13th place.

FIA CEZ (Czech Republic):

Race 2:13th place, #506 TopCar Machánek, Rudolf Machánek (SVK)

15.Sep 2014

VLN cancellation due to fog

The eighth round of the VLN Langstrecken-meisterschaft Nürburgring, the 46th ADAC Barbarossapreis, was scheduled to take place on September 13th, but couldn’t be started due to dense fog.

Qualifying for the four-hour race got underway on Saturday morning, albeit with a slight delay, but at least with decent visibility. However, as the fog got more and more dense, the session was stopped after 50 minutes and the race also had to be cancelled for safety reasons. Originally, four AMG Customer Sport Teams had entered for the race: Black Falcon, Car Collection Motorsport, Weiland Racing and Hofor Racing. Hubert Haupt, Andreas Simonsen and Yelmer Buurman proved to be particularly strong in qualifying with the #3 Black Falcon car. The other AMG Customer Sport Teams had secured starting grid positions in the top 20: Weiland Racing’s SLS AMG GT3 #18 with Bert Flossbach and Jeroen Bleekemolen behind the wheel was ninth-fastest in qualifying. Kenneth Heyer, Michael Kroll and Christiaan Frankenhout in Hofor Racing’s #50 gullwing ended up 14th. The Car Collection trio (#33) of Peter Schmidt, Johannes Siegler and Patrik Kaiser reached 18th place in qualifying.

The next VLN round, the ROWE DMV 250 miles race, will take place October 11th.

VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring (Germany):no classification

15.Sep 2014

A turbulent weekend in the V8 Supercars Championship

Last weekend’s Wilson Security Sandown 500 marked the 29th round of the V8 Supercars Championship. Two Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs were racing for the Team Erebus Motorsport V8 in the endurance race at Sandown International Motor Raceway, covering a distance of 500 kilometers.

Will Davison sat behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG #9, supported by his brother Alex Davison for the three and a half hour race. In the first qualifying race, 35-year-old Alex Davison was classified 16th. After contact with a competitor, 32-year-old Will Davison had to make do with 18th place in the second qualifying race. The brother pairing ended up 21st after 160 laps in the endurance race.

In the drivers’ championship, Will Davison is 14th with 1,302 points. After his participation, Alex Davison is currently placed 46th.

Lee Holdsworth and Craig Baird raced the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG #4. Baird finished 14th for EREBUS Motorsport V8 in the first qualifying race. Subsequently, Holdsworth secured twelfth place in the second qualifying race. In the main race, Baird and Holdsworth didn’t manage to continue the upward trend. After 130 laps, the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG #4 became involved in an accident, after which the safety car was deployed. The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG #9 wasn’t classified in the race.

In the drivers’ standings, Holdsworth is 19th with 1,117 points. Baird is 49th in the championship. In the teams’ standings, EREBUS Motorsport V8 is in sixth place.

15.Sep 2014

A historic 1-2 in the DTM

Four DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupés in the top five and a historic 1-2 – yesterday’s eighth round of the 2014 DTM season at the Lausitzring ended with these results.

In tricky weather conditions, Mercedes junior Pascal Wehrlein (gooix Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) dominated proceedings right away: the 19-year-old already made history on Saturday by becoming the youngest pole-sitter in the DTM. In the race on Sunday, Wehrlein took his maiden victory in the DTM, making himself the youngest-ever race winner in the series.

Christian Vietoris (Original-Teile Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) notched up the 101st one-two win for Mercedes-Benz in the DTM. Vietoris improved his position on the first laps after the start to move up from P11 to P2. With two rounds remaining, Vietoris is placed second in the overall standings with 59 points.

08.Sep 2014

Third and fourth place in the Barcelona 24h race

Last weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, there was another highlight of the season on the program: the Barcelona 24h race. After the Dubai 24h, the Italy-Mugello 12h, and the Zandvoort 12h, this marked the fourth round in the “24h series”.

Two AMG Customer Sport teams entered a total of three SLS AMG GT3s in the race, with a total of 65 cars on the track.

The winners from 2013, the AMG Customer Sports team Hofor Racing came to the track with high expectations. Last year’s quartet of drivers – Roland Eggimann, Michael Kroll, Kenneth Heyer and Christiaan Frankenhout – was joined by Chantal Kroll this year.

Team Hofor Racing started the race from second position and took the lead already in the first lap. Due to problems during the pit stopsthe gullwing fell back to third place. After completing 641 laps, the team crossed the finish line in third place, 12 laps behind the winners. Chantal Kroll became the first lady racer to score a podium finish in a 24-hour race with the SLS AMG GT3.

The AMG Customer Sports team Car Collection Motorsport sent two SLS AMG GT3s to Catalonia. Peter Schmidt, Josef Klüber, Gerd Beisel, Maximilian Stein and Christian Bracke drove the gullwing with starting number #2. In the sister car with the number #3, Gustav Edelhoff, Dr. Johannes Kirchhoff, Elmar Grimm, Ingo Vogler and Wiggo Dalma took turns at the wheel. Car Collection Motorsport had high aspirations for this race twice around the clock too: they wanted to tie up to their victory in the Zandvoort 12h race in May.

The gullwing #3 secured the tenth starting position in the qualifying round. In the race, with an overall fourth place finish after 24 hours, the German AMG Customer Sports team just barely missed the chance to mount the podium.

Its sister car #2 also took a top ten place in the qualifying round and started the race from seventh position. After a collision, Schmidt, Klüber, Beisel, Stein and Bracke were forced to retire from the race after 476 laps, but were still ranked 50th.

08.Sep 2014

Victory in the Algarve in the Blancpain Sprint Series

On the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve at Portimao, three AMG Customer Sport teams competed in round five of the Blancpain Sprint Series.

This time H.T.P. Motorsport sent three gullwings out on the track. Maximilian Götz and Maximilian Buhk joined the 22-car starting field in the SLS AMG GT3 with number #84. Sergei Afanasiev and Stef Dusseldorp piloted sister car #85, while Lucas Wolf and Luca Stolz alternated at the wheel of the third H.T.P. Motorsport gullwing (#86) in the Silver Cup class.

In Saturday’s qualifying race, Buhk and Götz delivered yet another strong performance: with their second-place finish, they secured the second position for the start of Sunday’s race. In the 60-minute main race, Götz then prepared the basis for victory already in the initial laps as he run up to the lead of the field. After switching drivers, Buhk was able to maintain the lead right to the finish line. In doing so, the pair achieved the second victory of the season in the Blancpain Sprint Series.

Sergei Afanasiev and Stef Dusseldorp in the team’s sister car #85 took fifth place on Saturday. The pair then drove from P5 to finish eleventh in the main race. H.T.P. Motorsport’s third SLS AMG GT3 with the number #86 crossed the finish line of the qualifying round in eighth place. Starting out the main race in eighth position, Wolf and Stolz finished 17th overall. In their Silver Cup class they ranked second. With a total of 116 points, H.T.P. Motorsport holds a six-point lead in teams’ standings.

Armaan Ebrahim and Miguel Toril took the wheel of gullwing #63 for Fortec Motorsports. The pair came in 15th in Saturday’s qualifying round, the third best finish in the Silver Cup class. In the main race, however, the team had to retire already after the first lap due to a collision and was not ranked in the standings for this race.

As guest starters in their home country, the Portuguese AMG Customer Sports team Sports & You sent two SLS AMG GT3s into the race. Paulo Pinheiro and Francisco Mora piloted gullwing #71, whilst António Coimbra and Luis Silva shared the cockpit of sister car #72. All four Sports & You drivers started in the Pro-Am Trophy class. Gullwing #71, which failed to classify in the qualifying race, crossed the finish line 18th overall in the main race. Mora and Pinheiro thereby earned a second place ranking in their class. Coimbra and Silva in the team’s sister car #72 followed their 18thplace finish in the qualifying race with a 20th place finish in the main race. In the Pro-AM Trophy, the Portuguese duo ranked fourth.

The sixth round of the Blancpain Sprint Series will be held from 18th to 19th October in Zolder, Belgium.

08.Sep 2014

DMV TCC in Dijon

Following the summer break, the eleventh and twelfth rounds of the DMV Touring Car Challenge were held last weekend in Dijon.

The AMG Customer Sports team ANTeam fielded two SLS AMG GT3s on the course in the Burgundy region of France. The two racing gullwings achieved top results in each of the 30-minute races – especially Frederic Yerly in the car with the number #70: In the first race, the Swiss driver started from third position, held second position for a while, and finally passed the checkered flag in third place. His team colleague Bruno Stucky crossed the finish line in fifth place, thereby improving on his sixth-place qualifying finish. For Stucky, who piloted SLS AMG GT3 #71 in Class 10, this result amounted to a second-place finish in his class.

It appeared for a long time as if Frederic Yerly would also reach the podium in the second race of the weekend: the Swiss pilot who started from P2 was overtaken on the start-finish-line and missed the third place by just 0.041 seconds. Yerly’s fourth position was followed by Bruno Stucky in fifth place overall. In the class standings, that means second place – as in the morning race – for Bruno Stucky (Class 10) and third place for Yerly (Class 8).

With their SLS AMG GT3 #70, the duo Edwin Stucky/Frederic Yerly currently holds second place in the overall standings of the series. With starting number #71, Bruno Stucky is now ranked fifth.

The seventh of eight rounds of the DMV TCC Series will be held from 26th - 27th September on the Red Bull Ring.

08.Sep 2014

One-two victory at Italian Grand Prix

Last weekend the Italian Grand Prix, the 13th race of this Formula 1 season, took place at the Autodromo di Monza. Spectators at the fastest track of the year could look forward to an exciting race in dry, warm weather. Mercedes AMG PETRONAS put in a very impressive team performance.

Lewis Hamilton won pole position in qualifying. Although Hamilton lost some places at the start, he succeeded in winning back the lead, where he remained until he saw the checkered flag. It was the 29-year-old’s sixth win of the season.

Teammate Nico Rosberg secured the seventh double victory this season for Mercedes AMG PETRONAS: Starting from P2 on the grid, he took the lead on the first lap. He remained in front until a mistake in the first chicane allowed Lewis to regain the lead once more in lap 29. He later crossed the finish line in second place.

With this result, Lewis Hamilton managed to reduce Nico Rosberg’s lead in the driver’s standings. Rosberg now leads with 238 points, with Hamilton in second place with 216.

The next stop for the Formula One will be in Southeast Asia, with the Singapore Grand Prix taking place on September 21, 2014.

01.Sep 2014

Two podium finishes and six top ten results in ADAC GT Masters

The Nürburgring hosted the ADAC GT Masters series last weekend. Round six of the super sports car league had a total of 26 cars on the grid including five SLS AMG GT3s.

Racing for the BKK Mobil Oil Racing Team Zakspeed, Alon Day and Luca Ludwig caught the attention in race one already with the number #21 gullwing. The duo had made its mark by setting the fastest time in qualifying. Having started from pole position, they finished second in the race after 38 laps, scoring the best result of the season to date for the BKK Mobil Oil Racing Team Zakspeed. On Sunday, Day and Ludwig started the race from 18th place on the grid and took the checkered flag in eighth position after an entertaining race.

AMG Customer Sports Team ROWE RACING again entered two SLS AMG GT3s at the 3.629 kilometers long Nürburgring sprint circuit. The driver pairings: Jaime Alguersuari and Nico Bastian shared starting number #22 while Jan Seyffarth and Maro Engel raced the #23 car. After a thrilling qualifying session with changeable conditions on Friday, Engel secured himself seventh place on the grid. Bastian qualified twelfth for the race on Saturday, in which he retired after innocently getting involved in a race accident on the opening lap. Things were going better for Engel, who was able to move up to fourth place after the start and defended this position until the driver change. In the remainder of the race, Jan Seyffarth tried to attack the driver in third place several times, but never had a real opportunity to overtake and thus crossed the finish line fourth overall, scoring ROWE RACING’s best result of the season to date. In the second race on Sunday, things didn’t go any better for Alguersuari and Bastian with the #22 gullwing than on the previous day. Once again, their race was over following an accident on the opening lap. Having started from twelfth place on the grid, Jan Seyffarth made up several positions and handed the car to team-mate Maro Engel in eighth place. Until the end of the race, Engel progressed another two positions to finish sixth.

AMG Customer Sports Team H.T.P. Motorsport also came away from this race weekend with a good result in the form of four top ten classifications. Luca Stolz and Mathias Lauda raced for points with the number #27 gullwing. During the ADAC GT Masters event, Dutchman Renger van der Zande filled in the slot alongside Maximilian Götz in the number #26 sister car for the first time.

The first race saw former DTM driver van der Zande make a good start with the number #26 gullwing from eleventh on the grid. After the driver change, Götz brought the car home to finish seventh. The race on Sunday was even better for Götz and van der Zande as they were able to convert their third place from qualifying into an identical classification in the race and thus score a podium finish. Driving the number #27 sister car, Stolz and Lauda also scored a pair of top ten results. On Saturday, they started 13th and finished tenth. On Sunday, they were 14th on the grid at the Grand Prix circuit. In the action-packed race, the duo managed to move up five positions and finished ninth.

In the team standings, H.T.P. Motorsport is currently in fifth place, followed by ROWE RACING in seventh and BKK Mobil Oil Racing Team Zakspeed in eighth. In the drivers’ standings, Maximilian Götz is the best-placed SLS AMG GT3 driver in fifth position.

Round seven of the ADAC GT Masters takes place at the Sachsenring, September 19th until 21st.

01.Sep 2014

Three podium finishes in the Special Tourenwagen Trophy

The fifth round of the Special Tourenwagen Trophy took part on the support bill of the ADAC GT Masters at the Nürburgring last weekend.

AMG Customer Sports Team Car Collection Motorsport ran the gullwing with number #4 for Josef Klüber in the Eifel. In the first of the two 30 minutes’ races, the German made good progress from fifth on the grid with thrilling position fights and made it onto the podium by finishing third. In second qualifying, Klüber secured himself third place on the grid for the second race and managed to bring this position home in the race. Thus, he was allowed to stand on the podium once more.

In the drivers’ standings, Klüber remains second with a total of 173 points.

Christian Land and Stefan Eilentropp drove Land Motorsport’s SLS AMG GT3 with number #86. In the first race, Eilentropp moved up four places from eleventh on the grid and took the checkered flag in seventh. In the second race, team-mate Land started from pole position and crossed the finish line in second place overall, 27.7 seconds clear of the Klüber SLS AMG GT3.

The next round of the STT will be held during the RGB Finale at the Nürburgring, October 3rd until 5th.

01.Sep 2014

A pair of top ten results in the Super GT Series

Suzuka Speedway hosted round six of the Super GT Series last weekend. Once again, three AMG Customer Sport Teams with a total of four SLS AMG GT3s were on the starting grid.

This time, AMG Customer Sports Team GAINER convinced with the best results. In dry conditions, Masayuki Ueda and Hideki Yamauchi started sixth on the grid with their number #10 car. The two Japanese ended the race in fourth position as the best-place customer sport team. The #11 sister car with Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Björn Wirdheim behind the wheel was 18th in qualifying. In the race on Sunday, the duo managed to make up no less than eight places and also made it into the top ten: the GAINER DIXCEL SLS AMG GT3 crossed the finish line in tenth place. With its number #11 car, AMG Customer Sports Team GAINER is currently second in the team standings with a total of 54 points, two points behind the leaders. The team-mates with the #10 car are currently 16th with 21 points.

Once again, Huraki and Tsubasa Kurosawa raced the number #65 gullwing for the AMG Customer Sports Team LEON RACING. Having claimed eighth place on the grid for the race in qualifying, the duo retired early due to a technical problem, 108 laps into the race on Sunday. The Kurosawas are currently sixth in the team standings.

AMG Customer Sports Team R’Qs MotorSports ran its GREENTEC SLS AMG GT3 (#22) with Hisashi Wada and Masaki Jyonai at Suzuka Speedway. After their 14th place on qualifying, the Japanese duo was classified 15th in the race. With one point from round six, R’Qs MotorSports is currently in 21st place in the team championship.

Round seven of the Super GT Series takes place in Thailand, October 4th until 5th.

01.Sep 2014

Asian Le Mans Series at Fuji

At the 4.536 kilometers Fuji Speedway, Yu Lam, Tsuchiya Takeshi and Takamtsu Matsu raced the SLS AMG GT3 #90 for the AAI Motorsports team. A strong qualifying allowed Lam to start third on the grid for the race on Sunday. After the driver change to Matsui, the team remained closely behind the front-runners. However, a technical problem forced the trio to retire after two and a half hours.

The third Asian Le Mans Series round takes place at Shanghai, October 11th.

01.Sep 2014

Seventh place in Sepang 12h race

The 15th running of the prestigious Sepang 12h race, the Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race (MMER), was held in Malaysia last weekend.

On Saturday, 29 competitors raced at the Sepang International Circuit close to the country’s capital Kuala Lumpur. Michael Chua, Joseph Chua and Cheang Wan Chin (#96) raced for AMG Customer Sports Team MIKE RACING. Classified ninth in qualifying, the gullwing started the race from the fifth row of the grid. Apart from an unscheduled pit stop to have a headlight repaired, the race went satisfyingly. The SLS AMG GT3 #96 crossed the finish line in seventh place. 2:08-855 minutes down on the first-placed car.

25.Aug 2014

Victory in VLN 6h race

Last weekend’s Opel 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-race marked the season highlight of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring. This seventh round of the endurance championship saw three AMG Customer Sport teams taking part.

ROWE RACING put in a brilliant performance, claiming its first win of the season with its driver pairing of Thomas Jäger and Jan Seyffarth and winning the 6h race for the third year in a row. Jäger took the start from third place on the grid and moved up to take the lead of the 177 cars strong field on lap nine. After the scheduled driver change to Jan Seyffarth, the latter continued the team’s progress on its way to success. AMG Customer Sports Pool Driver Thomas Jäger took over the wheel of the ROWE RACING SLS AMG GT3 with starting number #6 again for the final turn while still in the lead. In spite of adverse weather conditions, the team scored a dominant win with a margin of more than three minutes.

The Car Collection Motorsport SLS AMG GT3 (#33) had Peter Schmidt, Patrik Kaiser, Heinz Schmersal and “Kuragon” as its drivers. In qualifying, the team from Walluf in Germany claimed 18th place. With a consistent performance, they featured in the top 20 almost throughout the race and finished the endurance race in 19th place.

AMG Customer Sports team Hofor Racing ran a gullwing (#50) in the “Green Hell” for Kenneth Heyer, Michael Kroll, Christian Frankenhout and Roland Eggimann. From 16th place on the grid, starting driver Kroll made continuous progress on the first few laps to move up into the top ten. After the first third of the race, the SLS AMG GT3 #50 was even in second place overall. However, just before the halfway point, Hofor Racing’s gullwing retired due to a race accident.

The next VLN round, the 46th ADAC Barbarossapreis, takes place September 13th.

25.Aug 2014

Four SLS AMG GT3s in the top ten of the Blancpain Sprint Series

After the summer break, round four of the Blancpain Sprint Series at the Slovakia Ring was eagerly awaited. Last weekend, three AMG Customer Sports teams entered a total of five SLS AMG GT3s at the 5.922 km long track near Bratislava. With four top ten classifications in the 60 minutes’ sprint race, the SLS AMG GT3 fraction showed its class.

This time, H.T.P. Motorsport ran three gullwings that put in a convincing performance. In the SLS AMG GT3 with number #84, Nico Verdonck raced this time alongside regular driver Maximilian Götz. In qualifying, the duo was third-fastest. Starting driver Verdonck emerged without any damage from the turbulent opening stages of the race and held on to his position well up in the field. The change to Götz was equally trouble-free, the German even led the race for a while. Eventually, the duo just missed out on a podium finish and was classified fourth. In the Blancpain Sprint Series drivers’ standings, Götz remains in the lead with 85 points. H.T.P. Motorsport is second in the team standings.

The sister car (#86) was driven by Lucas Wolf and Luca Stolz. After their 17th place in the qualifying race, the two young talents improved to fifth place in the main race. In their class (Silver Cup), the German duo claimed victory.

H.T.P. Motorsport’s third SLS AMG GT3 (#85) with Sergei Afanasiev and Stef Dusseldorp in the cockpit ended up in the gravel trap after a collision in the qualifying race. In the main race on Sunday, the result was all the more impressive: behind its two sister cars, the number #85 gullwing crossed the finish line in sixth place.

AMG Customer Sports team Fortec Motorsport had Armaan Ebrahim and Miguel Toril as the drivers of the gullwing with starting number #63 at the Slovakia Ring. The Silver Cup duo started the main race from P11. With fast lap times, the SLS AMG GT3 made up several places with Toril behind the wheel, but didn’t manage to hold on to third place throughout the race. In the end, Fortec Motorsport was classified tenth. In the Silver Cup class, Ebrahim and Toril ended up third.

For the first time, AMG Customer Sports team ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport took part in a Blancpain Sprint Series race. Driven by René Münnich, the Blancpain novice with starting number #97 started the sprint race from 14th place on the grid. In the Pro-AM class, the SLS AMG GT3 wasn’t classified following its retirement on lap 17.

The fifth round of the Blancpain Sprint Series takes place at the Portimao Circuit in the Algarve from September 5th untill September 7th

25.Aug 2014

FIA CEZ

Rounds eleven and twelve of the FIA CEZ took place at the Slovakia Ring last weekend.

AMG Customer Sports team Charouz Racing System competed with Jakub Knoll (#9). The Czech driver, used to success, showed a convincing performance at the Slovakia Ring as well. Having started from pole position, he finished fourth in the first race. In the second race on Sunday, the 23-year-old even claimed victory for Charouz Racing System. With 210.5 points, Knoll remains in the lead of the drivers’ standings.

Rudolf Machánek was the driver of the number #506 gullwing for AMG Customer Sports team TopCar Machánek. In both races, the 63-year-old achieved a top ten finish.

The next FIA CEZ round will take place in Belgrade from August 30th till 31st.

25.Aug 2014

Another victory in Australian GT

Sydney Motorsport Park served as the venue for the fourth round of the Australian GT Championship last weekend. In total, 26 teams raced at the 3.93 kilometers long track. Expectations were high for points’ leader Richard Muscat, racing for the AMG Customer Sports team EREBUS Motorsport GT.

In qualifying on Friday, Muscat went off to a brilliant start, claiming pole position for the first 60 minutes’ race on Saturday with his SLS AMG GT3 with number #36. After a perfect start, Muscat led the field until a technical problem during a safety car phase around the halfway point forced him to retire. In the second race of the Australian GT Championship event, Muscat started tenth, unaffected by his bad luck from the previous day. With an impressive performance, the #36 gullwing puts its competitors under pressure all race long and made its way up to first place after 20 laps. After that, Muscat had no problems as he drives victory home. And another victory at Sydney Motorsport Park was not all for Richard Muscat: the Australian driver of the EREBUS Motorsport SLS AMG GT3 also set the fastest race lap (1:28.070).

The fifth round of the Australian GT Championship takes place at Sandown from September 12th till 14th.

Australian GT (Australia):

Race 1:NC, #36 EREBUS Motorsport GT, Richard Muscat (AUS)

Race 2:1st place, #36 EREBUS Motorsport GT, Richard Muscat (AUS)

25.Aug 2014

V8 Supercars Championship in Sydney

Will Davison raced the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG #9. The Australian had a successful showing on Saturday: having started twelfth into the first race, he managed to make up no less than five places and took the checkered flag in seventh place. He did even better in the next race, moving up from 18th place on the grid into the top five after a spirited drive on a wet track. The 31-year-old managed to make up no less than 13 positions and eventually came home fifth. On Sunday, race 28 was the longest of this V8 Supercars round at a distance of 200 kilometers. Davidson started from 16th place and finished eleventh.

In first qualifying, Lee Holdsworth ended up seventh with the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG with number #4 and finished tenth in the first of the two 100 km races (26). In the next race, Holdsworth came home in 15th place.

On Sunday, Holdsworth had to start 16th on the grid for the third race of this meeting. Holdsworth managed to make up a few places and was classified 13th.

The next V8 Supercars event is the Wilson Security Sandown endurance race from September 12th till 14th, 2014.

25.Aug 2014

Second place in Belgian Grand Prix

The Ardennes circuit with its challenging corner sequences and high-speed character hosted the Belgian Grand Prix as the twelfth round of the 2014 Formula 1 season last weekend.

With Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton on top, first practice already showed of what was in store for the team Mercedes AMG PETRONAS this weekend. Rosberg claimed pole position while his British team-mate started the race from second place on the grid.

Hamilton had a good start, but contact with his team-mate and a puncture slowed his progress on lap two. Eventually, the runner-up in the drivers’ standings retired in the final stages of the race.

In the dramatic race, Rosberg remained unfazed. After some turbulent laps, the 29-year-old made rapid progress to find his way back to the front runners and crossed the finish line in second place.

Rosberg remains in the lead of the drivers’ standings with 220 points while Lewis Hamilton is second, 29 points down. In total, the team managed to continue its impressive string of success at Spa-Francorchamps: in every round of the 2014 season, MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS scored a podium finish with a total of 19 top 3 classifications.

The 13th Formula 1 round of this season (Italian Grand Prix) takes place at Monza, September 7th.

The team from Malaysia had high expectations going into the race, eager to score significantly better results than in the most recent round at Fuji (23rd and 26th place). Classified tenth in first qualifying, Wirdheim secured himself a good starting grid position in the field of 27 competitors for the first main race of 60 minutes. After a good start, the pilot already was involved in contact with several competitors in the first few corners, which slowed down the gullwing’s progress. After seven laps, a technical problem forced the team to retire.

In the hot and humid conditions that are typical for Sepang, team owner Chua started 21st on the grid for the second race of the weekend (round eight). During his stint, he kept a high pace and managed to make up no less than ten positions. Due to problems during the first pit stop, the team had to make another unscheduled stop. At the time the SLS AMG GT3 #96 eventually crossed the finish line, the delay was so big that the car hadn’t completed the minimum race distance and therefore wasn’t classified.

The next two rounds (nine and ten) of the GT Asia Series will be held again at Sepang International Circuit, September 12 till 14.

18.Aug 2014

Another Good Team Performance in DTM

After two rounds outside of Germany (Russia and Austria), the DTM returned on German soil for last weekend’s seventh round of the season.

At the Nürburgring, seven Mercedes AMG C-Coupés were competing in the race, five of which finished in the top ten.

Paul di Resta (DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) was the fastest Mercedes AMG driver in the DTM race. The Scot started from eighth place on the grid, made up four positions on the course of the 49 race laps and only narrowly missed a podium finish as he crossed the line in fourth place. Daniel Juncadella followed in fifth position, scoring his best result of the season to date.

Driving for the Team Original-Teile Mercedes AMG, Christian Vietoris also managed to improve his result from the last DTM race (ninth place). From ninth on the grid, the German came home in sixth place, right behind di Resta and Juncadella.

Robert Wickens (FREE MAN’S WORLD Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) also remained close to the front-runners and finished the race in ninth place in front of Pascal Wehrlein (gooix Mercedes AMG C-Coupé). Classified tenth, Wehrlein secured himself the final point-scoring position.

Gary Paffett (EURONICS Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) ended up 16th in the seventh round of the season, having started 23rd on the grid. His team-mate Vitaly Petrov (DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) finished in 18th place.

The next DTM race (round eight) will take place at the Lausitzring, September 13 till 14.

11.Aug 2014

6 Top Ten Results in ADAC GT Masters at Slovakia Ring

At the Slovakia Ring, the ADAC GT Masters returned to action after its summer break. The fifth round of the season saw three AMG Customer Sport teams again on the grid. At almost six kilometres, the track is among the most demanding circuits on the calendar of the super sports car league.

In summerly hot conditions with temperatures of up to 31 degrees, AMG Customer Sports Team ROWE RACING had entered two gullwings for the races. Nico Bastian raced together with Jaime Alguersuari (#22) while Maro Engel and Jan Seyffarth shared driving duties behind the wheel of the sister car (#23).

Bastian set the fastest time of the five SLS AMG GT3 cars in qualifying and thus claimed fifth place on the grid for the first race. In the race, Bastian/Alguersuari looked set for a top result. With 20 minutes remaining, however, ROWE RACING’s #22 gullwing became involved in a collision with H.T.P. Motorsports #26 SLS AMG GT3 and retired.

Things went better for the #23 ROWE RACING sister car with Maro Engel and Jan Seyffarth. From eleventh on the grid, the duo made up four places during the race and crossed the finish line in seventh position.

In the second race on Sunday, Seyffarth and Engel managed to improve their result from the previous day as they brought the #23 car home in sixth place.

ROWE RACING’s #22 gullwing also convinced with a strong performance in the second race: Alguersuari started the race in 18th place and gradually made his way up through the ranks after a perfect start. After the driver change, Bastian stayed within reach of the top position in the closely running field and took the chequered flag in eighth place.

For AMG Customer Sports Team H.T.P. Motorsport, Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz (#26) tried to build on their podium finishes from the last ADAC GT Masters event, but this time, they didn’t succeed. In the first race of the weekend, the SLS AMG GT3 started from twelfth place. Following the collision with the ROWE RACING SLS AMG GT3, the safety car came onto the track. Götz was able to continue his race, but was given a drive through penalty and finished 21st.

In the race on Sunday, Götz initially made up a few places after a good start from 13th on the grid. A puncture then forced the #26 car to retire. After the race, Buhk and Götz were excluded from the second race because Buhk didn’t follow the instructions from the marshals.

In the sister car with #27, Luca Stolz raced together with Mathias Lauda, ex DTM driver and the son of Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda, for the first time. In the race on Saturday, starting driver Stolz departed sixth on the grid and worked his way up towards the top into fourth place. Due to a technical problem, however, the duo dropped back and eventually crossed the finish line in 19th place.

In the race on Sunday, the H.T.P. Motorsport team scored a top ten result. From 19th place on the grid, Lauda and Stolz made good progress to finish ninth.

BKK Mobil Oil Racing Team Zakspeed drivers Alon Day and Luca Ludwig drove the fifth SLS AMG GT3 (#21) in the field. In qualifying for the first race, the German and the Israeli secured themselves 15th place on the grid amidst the 26 competitors. They also showed a strong performance with ninth place in the race on Saturday as a reward. The second day was even better. Day and Ludwig started from seventh place on the grid and managed to bring this position home.

The next ADAC GT Masters round takes place at the Nürburgring from August 29 till 31.

11.Aug 2014

Second place and points’ lead in the Super GT Series at Fuji

In Japan, 24 competitors staged thrilling position fights in last weekend’s fifth Super GT Series season round, the Fuji GT 300 km race.

AMG Customer Sports Team GAINER ran its two gullwings (#10 and #11) in the two-hour race at the foot of Mount Fuji. For Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Björn Wirdheim, the drivers of the GAINER DIXCEL SLS AMG GT3 #11, 19th place in qualifying didn’t quite reveal what the race had in store: the international driver pairing kept a high pace over 18 laps and managed to make up no less than 17 positions. Eventually, they were classified second. This allowed the AMG Customer Sports Team with starting number #11 to take the lead in the teams’ standings.

The #10 sister car, driven by Masayuki Ueda and Hideki Yamauchi, was fourth in qualifying, but the Rn SPORTS DIXCEL SLS AMG GT3 only came 14th in the race.

Huraki and Tsubasa Kurosawa (#65) raced for the AMG Customer Sports Team LEON RACING. From twelfth place on the grid, the Kurosawas soon closed up to the top ten and managed to make up four places. They finished eighth and are currently placed fourth in the teams’ standings.

The fourth SLS AMG GT3 (#22) in the race was driven by Team R’Qs MotorSports drivers Hisashi Wada and Masaki Jyonai. The AMG Customer Sports Team improved significantly compared to the previous Super GT round, in which they were 20th: with the Green-TEC SLS AMG GT3, the Japanese driver pairing started last on the grid, made good progress and finished eleventh. With a total of nine points, R’Qs MotorSports is currently 20th in the teams’ standings.

The sixth Super GT Series season round takes place at Suzuka Speedway, August 30 and 31.

11.Aug 2014

Double Victory in FIA CEZ at Most

After the most recent FIA CEZ round at Grobnik from August 2nd to 3rd had been cancelled, rounds nine and ten of the FIA CEZ took place at Most in the Czech Republic last weekend.

Points’ leader Jakub Knoll (#9) competed in the two 25 minutes’ sprint races at the 4.148 kilometres long Most Autodrom for the AMG Customer Sports Team Charouz Racing System. Knoll again showed an impressive performance. The Czech was not only the best-placed GT3 class driver in both races, he also made a clear mark to all his competitors with the fastest lap times and a pair of race wins.

08.Aug 2014

Third Place for ROWE RACING at the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring

Last weekend the sixth race of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring was staged. This time four AMG Customer Sport Teams have started into the four-hour race.

Michael Zehe and Jan Seyffarth took their places in the cockpit of the SLS AMG GT3 with the #6 for ROWE RACING. Following a commanding performance in the qualifying round, Zehe started from ninth position on the “Nordschleife”. After the driver change Seyffarth managed to continue the fight for a place on the podium and caught up further places. 27 rounds later, following a second driver change, Zehe finally crossed the finishing line in third place.

Peter Schmidt, Klaus Koch and Marcel Belka began the race in the gullwing with the starting number 33 for the AMG Customer Sports Team Car Collection Motorsport. With an overall ranking of eleven, the driver trio narrowly missed securing a place in the top ten, while they came sixth in their class SP9.

Kenneth Heyer, Michael Kroll and Roland Eggimann from AMG Customer Sports Team Hofor Racing were also able to secure a place in the top ten in the field of 168 starters during the first few hours of the race. After 15 laps the gullwing #50 was in ninth place, and in the end Heyer, Kroll and Eggimann were in twelfth place overall when they saw the checkered flag.

The SLS AMG GT3 #18 from Weiland Racing, with Jeroen Bleekemolen, Andreas Weiland and Bert Flossbach at the wheel, started the race from eighth position. However, they had to prematurely retire from this VLN race after 18 laps without any ranking.

The next VLN race, the Opel 6h ADAC Ruhr Cup Race is scheduled for August 23rd.

08.Aug 2014

Second Place in the Super Car Race Series

Two SLS AMG GT3s started the last two races of this year’s Super Car Race Series on the Okayama International Circuit in the Japanese prefecture of Okayama.

The gullwing #19, with Kouichi Okumura and Hironori Takeuchi at the wheel, started for the BRP*SHIFT team. After 24 laps on the rain-drenched circuit, the two Japanese drivers secured the 5th place in both main races. The driver duo crowned the final of this year’s Super Car Race Series with a victory in their class in race ten, and in the process Okumura also drove the fastest lap time in his class.

GAIAPOWER Adenau sent a second SLS AMG GT3 into the race, where a total of ten vehicles started. The gullwing with the #18 was piloted by Philippe Devesa and Shogo Mitsuyama. The two drivers were in second place when they saw the checkered flag in the first race. In the following race they crossed the finishing line in ninth place. In their class Devesa and Mitsuyama secured second place.

08.Aug 2014

Pirelli World Challenge staged in Ohio

Last weekend the eleventh and twelfth race of the Pirelli World Challenge were staged at the Honda Indy 200 in Lexington, Ohio. Tim Pappas started the race in the SLS AMG GT3 #54 on the 3.634 km long Mid-Ohio Circuit for the AMG Customer Sports Team Black Swan Racing.

In a field of 48 participants the American secured 18th position in the qualifying round, and came subsequently 21st in the first main race. This meant he secured eighth place in his class.

In the following main race Pappas was able to further improve his performance. Starting from position 18, he caught up five places and was 13th when he crossed the finishing line. Pappas came fourth in his class.

With a total of 494 points, Pappas is still 14th in the driver’s overall standings, and in his class, GT-A, he remains in fourth place.

The next round of the Pirelli World Challenge, the Sonoma Grand Prix, is scheduled for August 22 to 24 in Sonoma, California.

Pirelli World Challenge (USA):

Race 1:21st place, #54 Black Swan Racing, Tim Pappas (USA)

Race 2:13th place, #54 Black Swan Racing, Tim Pappas (USA)

08.Aug 2014

Coates Hire Ipswich 400

Two Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs started for the Erebus Motorsport V8 team in the V8 Supercars Series Down Under. Last weekend races 23, 24 and 25 of the current season were staged there within the framework of the Coates Hire Ipswich 400 race event.

Lee Holdsworth in the cockpit of the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG #4 did not get off to a perfect start in the ten-minute time training for the 23rd race: he finished in 23rd place. After 33 laps the Australian came 17th in the subsequent race. After starting the next race from position 21, Holdsworth finished the race in eighteenth place.

In the first qualifying round his team colleague Will Davison with the #9 secured sixth place, and subsequently came seventh in the main race. Starting the 24th race from position 15, Davison ultimately managed to come 14th.

On Sunday Holdsworth started the third and longest race of the weekend from position 20. After 65 laps he crossed the finishing line in 23rd place. Davison was still under the top ten at the beginning of the 25th race, but in the end he had to make do with 18th place.

The Sydney Motorsport Park 400 racing event is the ninth round of the V8 Supercars Championship, and it is scheduled for August 22 to 24 in the Australian metropolis.

08.Aug 2014

The second Half of the DTM Season started with one Top Ten placement

After the summer break, the participants of the DTM competed in the sixth round of the season last weekend on the Spielberg circuit. A total of seven Mercedes AMG C-Coupés started out on the 4.326 km long circuit.

Christian Vietoris from Team Original-Teile Mercedes AMG crossed the finishing line as best Mercedes AMG pilot. After starting from position 7, he crossed the finishing line in ninth place.

Robert Wickens (FREE MAN’S WORLD Mercedes AMG) started from the pole position and led the field for many laps, but saw the black flag after 33 laps. The Canadian received a drive-through penalty for an unsafe release on his pit stop, which he didn’t notice.

Pascal Wehrlein (gooix Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) was unable to complete the race regularly. After starting from position 5, a collision after 26 laps meant the end of the race for the 19-year-old German.

The next station of the DTM (race seven) is scheduled for August 16 to 17 August at the Nürburgring.

28.Jul 2014

Two SLS AMG GT3 within the Top Ten at the TOTAL 24 Hours of Spa

Endurance and driving skills under extreme conditions were really put to the test at the legendary 24-hour race on the circuit Spa-Francorchamps in the Ardennes, and here the AMG Customer Sport Teams really excelled with a good team result.

A total of seven SLS AMG GT3s were under the 60 vehicles which started the race, with five of them seeing the checkered flag. Richard Muscat, Vladimir Lunkin, Saud Turki Al Faisal and Christian Bracke began the race for the AMG Customer Sports Team Black Falcon in the car with the starting number 18. Abdulaziz Al Faisal, Hubert Haupt and Andreas Simonsen took their places in the cockpit of the sister car #19. The team’s third vehicle with the starting number 63 was piloted by Yelmer Buurman, Adam Christodoulou and Mike Parisy.

HTP Motorsport also sent three gullwings onto the race track: Harold Primat, Nico Verdonck and Bernd Schneider started the race in the SLS AMG GT3 #84. Xavier Maassen, Sergej Afanasiev and Stef Dusseldorp took their places in the cockpit of the sister car #85. The third SLS AMG GT3 with the #86 was driven by Maximilian Buhk, Maximilian Götz and Jazeman Jaafar.

In the Gentlemen Trophy, the AMG Customer Sports Team GDL Racing fought for points with Nigel Farmer, Lim Keong Liam, Jean-Charles Perrin and Gianluca De Lorenzi at the wheel of the gullwing #67.

Two of the three vehicles from HTP Motorsport were able to secure a place within the Top Ten in the qualifying round. The SLS AMG GT3 #84 managed to secure the seventh place, and the second gullwing #86 secured the tenth starting position. On Saturday the SLS AMG GT3 with the #85 started from position 18 in the legendary endurance race.

Accidents and long safety car phases overshadowed the course of the race already during the first hours of the event.

However, thanks to a consistent driving performance, the trio Buhk, Götz and Jaafar improved their position in the field of drivers over the entire 24 hours with frequent overtaking to move to the fore, and they completed this year’s endurance race in Spa-Franchorchamps as the best AMG Customer Sports Team in 5th place. At the end of the race their team colleagues in the gullwing #84 managed to secure the ninth place in the overall ranking, and in doing so AMG Pool driver Bernd Schneider also managed to drive the fastest lap in the race. The sister car with the #85 retired early after 52 laps following an accident. In total 20 other vehicles were also not able to classify in this year’s race.

After securing a place on the podium at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring in June, Team Black Falcon started the race with high expectations. In the qualifying round the team of drivers in the car with the #19 secured the fifteenth place. The sister cars #63 and #18 came 21st and 42nd. In its class, the Pro-Am category, the driver quartet in the SLS AMG GT3 #18 managed to secure 16th place.

After the first quarter of the race the SLS AMG GT3 from Black Falcon #19 was in eighth place, but had to abandon the race on Sunday morning after a technical defect. The team colleagues in the gullwing with the #63 came eleventh after 517 exciting laps. The third team from Black Falcon, with Muscat, Lunkin, Al Faisal and Bracke in the cockpit, were able to catch up eight places during the course of the race, and were in 34th place when they saw the checkered flag.

The SLS AMG GT3 from GDL Racing, which started the race from 52nd position, managed to secure 31st place in the end. They secured fifth place in the class ranking of the Gentlemen Trophy.

28.Jul 2014

DMV TCC Guest on the Hockenheimring

Last weekend the fifth race of the DMV Touring Car Challenge was staged on the Hockenheimring.

Three SLS AMG GT3s started in the races nine and ten of the current season. In the gullwing #69 of AMG Customer Sports Team Land Motorsport, Stefan Eilentropp managed to secure the twelfth starting position in the first race in a field of 29 vehicles, which started the race. In the second race of the weekend the driver from Wipperfürth started from position 16, and was able to catch up a total of five places in the 30-minute race, so that he crossed the finishing line in eleventh place.

The AMG Customer Sports Team ANTeam sent two vehicles into the 30-minute race. Edwin Stucky and Frederic Yerly began the race with the starting number 70, while Bruno Stucky took to the circuit in the sister car #71. With his sixth place in the first timed training, Edwin Stucky paved the way for a place in the top ten in the first race: team colleague Yerly confidently defended the sixth place during 18 laps. In the second race on Saturday Yerly then started from position 8, caught up two places in the course of 30 minutes, and hence once again finished the race in sixth place. This means that the duo is in second place in its class in the points table.

Bruno Stucky in the gullwing with the #71 had to make do with the 16th place in the first race, which he had started from position eleven. In the second race Stucky secured the ninth starting position, and in the end he managed to come twelfth. In his class he came fourth.

The sixth of a total of eight rounds of the DMV TCC Series 2014 is scheduled for September 5 - 6 in Dijon.

28.Jul 2014

Third and Fourth Place in Budapest

Following his success on the Hockenheimring, Lewis Hamilton from the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS team was able to repeat this triumph with an almost identical victory on the Hungaroring: despite a technical defect in the qualifying round and a correspondingly unfavorable 22nd starting position, the 29-year-old did his utmost and was able to catch up 19 places on the racing circuit. For his combative performance he was rewarded with third place at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

His team colleague Nico Rosberg, who once again started from pole position, was unlucky due to long safety car phases after the tenth lap. Despite fast lap times, particularly after the final pit stop, he was unable to overtake his British team colleague. In the end the 29-year-old from Wiesbaden had to make do with fourth place.

With 202 points, the German is still in first place in the driver’s standings, followed by Lewis Hamilton -- eleven points behind.

After the summer break, the twelfth race of the season is scheduled for August 24, 2014 in Spa (Belgian Grand Prix).

21.Jul 2014

Victory at the Special Touring Car Trophy in Spa

Two AMG Customer Sport Teams participated in the Race Festival in Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

Christian Land and Stefan Eilentropp started for Land Motorsport. After securing first place in the first qualifying round, Land masterfully defended the lead in the field of 39 vehicles, and was in first place when he saw the checkered flag in the first main race. Land’s debut in the STT series can therefore be rated as a complete success. In the second race his team colleague Eilentropp came ninth in the main race after securing position ten in the qualifying round.

Josef Klüber, for Car Collection Motorsport in the cockpit of the gullwing with the starting number four, took to the track from position ten. The driver from Alzenau showed his driving skills on the demanding track, and finished the first race in seventh place. In the second race Klüber crossed the finishing line in fourth place. Klüber hence secured second place in the overall ranking with 129 points, and he was only six points behind the leader.

The next round of the STT is scheduled for August 29 - 31 on the Nürburgring within the framework of the ADAC GT Masters.

21.Jul 2014

Fourth Round of the Super GT

On July 20 the fourth Super GT race of the year was held on the racing circuit Sportsland Sugo in the Japanese prefecture of Miyagi. Just like in the last race, four SLS AMG GT3s once again participated in the 300 km race.

Fog and rain over the circuit ensured that the qualifying round had to be postponed until the Sunday morning. Team LEON RACING sent Huraki and Tsubasa Kurosawa into the race in the SLS AMG GT3 with the starting number 65. The gullwing began the race from position 18, and over the distance of 73 laps it continually fought its way to the fore to cross the finishing line in second place. In the overall ranking the team LEON RACING is now in third place.

The Rn-SPORTS DIXCEL SLS AMG GT3 #10, piloted by Masayuki Ueda and Hideki Yamauchi for the AMG Customer Sports Team GAINER, was at the front in the quali-fying round. The duo began the main race from pole position, and finally finished in 13th place. After the qualifying round Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Björn Wirdheim started from position three in GAINER DIXCEL’s sister car with the starting number eleven on the 3.704 km long circuit. They were quickly able to move up to the front of the field of 23 vehicles, but after a collision they had to retire prematurely from the race.

Hisashi Wada and Tetsuya Tanaka from Team R’Qs Motorsport took their places in the cockpit of the fourth SLS AMG GT3 in the field. After securing 19th position in the qualifying round, they then came 20th in the main race in their GreenTEC SLS AMG GT3.

The next Super GT race is scheduled for August 9 to 10 on the Fuji Speedway.

21.Jul 2014

Successful Start into the Asian Le Mans Series

Last Sunday the Asian Le Mans Series began with the 3-hour race in Inje Speedium, 130 kilometers from the Korean capital Seoul.

The SLS AMG GT3 #90 of AMG Customer Sports Team AAI MOTORSPORTS, piloted by Yu Lam, Tsuchiya Takeshi and Takamtsu Matsu, was the best in its class in the qualifying round, and secured fourth starting place in the overall ranking for the main race. The starting driver Yu Lam managed to keep the lead in the GT class during his stint, and hand over this lead to Takamitsu Matsu. However, just before the end of this race which was dominated by accidents and technical defects, Takamitsu Matsu fell back and finished the first round of the Asian Le Mans in third place. The SLS AMG GT3 #90 came second in its class.

The second race of the season of the Asian Le Mans Series is scheduled for August 31 on the Fuji Speedway in Japan.

21.Jul 2014

Pirelli World Challenge Held in Toronto

Last weekend rounds nine and ten of the PWC were staged in the Canadian province of Ontario. 41 cars began the race on the city circuit of Toronto, and fought for points over a distance of 2.824 km. The American driver Tim Pappas from AMG Customer Sports Team Black Swan Racing started the race in the gullwing #54.

In the qualifying round Pappas secured 19th starting position for the first main race. In this race he was rated 20th after a technical problem and in the second race of last weekend the gentlemen driver from Boston did not participate.

In the drivers’ overall ranking Pappas is 14th with 410 points, and in fourth place in his class GT-A.

The next round of the Pirelli World Challenge will be held from August 1 to 3 on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

Pirelli World Challenge (Canada):

Race 1:20th place, #54 Black Swan Racing, Tim Pappas (USA)

Race 2:DNS, #54 Black Swan Racing, Tim Pappas (USA)

21.Jul 2014

Formula 1 Victory on the Hockenheimring

Following Lewis Hamilton’s home victory in Silverstone, the Formula 1 season continues with another home victory: Nico Rosberg wins the German Grand Prix on the Hockenheimring. Lewis Hamilton also managed to land a place on the podium: Rosberg’s colleague in the team from Mercedes AMG PETRONAS managed to secure third place after a remarkable race to catch up with the leaders.

Nico Rosberg, who started from the pole position, dominated the outcome of the race right from the outset. The 29-year-old chose a two-stop strategy with pit stops in the 15th and 41st lap. After 67 laps he perfected the perfect start-to-finish victory, which was never threatened. The fourth triumph for Rosberg in the 2014 season was also the first Formula 1 home victory of his career for the leader of the World Championship in the Silver Arrow.

Following an accident in the qualifying round, Lewis Hamilton had to start the race from position 20. The race then turned out to be all the more impressive for the British driver, who overtook 15 cars on the circuit and caught up a total of 17 places until he reached the finishing line. With his victory Nico Rosberg once again extended his lead over Lewis Hamilton to 14 points in the overall ranking.

The next race, which is the eleventh of the season, is scheduled for July 27, 2014 on the Hungaroring (Hungarian Grand Prix).

14.Jul 2014

Third Round of Italian GT Championship

The third round of the Italian GT Championship was staged in the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello on July 13. Once again the AMG Customer Sports team Sports & You sent its gullwing #24 to start the race, with Luís Sá Silva and Francisco Mora in the cockpit.

They started the first race from position 13, but in this race the two Portuguese drivers only managed to secure 21st place in the field of 25 vehicles. The second race turned out to be far more successful. Once again they started from position 13 on the 5.245 km long racing circuit, and in a turbulent race Sà Silva and Mora managed to fight their way forwards and cross the finishing line in tenth place.

The fourth race of the Italian GT is scheduled for 29 to 31 August on the French Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet.

14.Jul 2014

Severe Weather Conditions at the GT Asia

Last weekend the fifth and sixth race of the current GT Asia were staged on the Fuji International Speedway. Michael and Joseph Chua in their SLS AMG GT3 with the #96 started there for the AMG Customer Sports team Mike Racing. The NB Team sent Joel Camathias and Songyang Fu into the race in the gullwing with the #5.

Torrential rainfall caused difficult conditions for the 33 vehicles starting the race on the circuit with 16 bends. In the first qualifying race Michael Chua managed to secure 23rd starting position, and the pilots from Mike Racing managed to defend their place over 31 laps and consequently finished the 60-minute race in 23rd place. In the sixth race of the season the Chuas started from position 30, and after 28 laps they finished the race in 26th place.

Camathias and Fu from NB Team started the first race from position 13, but were not classified. After securing 22nd place in the second qualifying race, the gullwing from the NB Team subsequently came 19th in the main race.

Rounds seven and eight of the GT Asia are scheduled for August 15 to 17 on the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.

14.Jul 2014

Last weekend seven DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupés started in the fifth race of the season in Moscow.

Vietoris from Team Original-Teile Mercedes AMG, who started the race from 21st position in his DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, thrilled spectators with an impressive race in hot pursuit of the leaders. In the 46 laps of the race, the German managed to catch up an amazing 14 places, and finally crossed the finishing line in seventh place and as best Mercedes AMG pilot.

Pascal Wehrlein (gooix Mercedes AMG) also managed to secure points: he crossed the finishing line in eighth place on the circuit near Moscow. Wehrlein also put up a convincing fighting performance: after starting from 19th position, he caught up eleven places during the race.

The Canadian Robert Wickens (FREE MAN’S WORLD Mercedes AMG) and brand team colleague Daniel Juncadella (PETRONAS MERCEDES AMG) as well as Gary Paffett (EURONICS Mercedes AMG) secured 14th to 16th places. Vitaly Petrov (Mercedes AMG) finished his home race on the Moscow Raceway in 18th place. For Paul Di Resta (Mercedes AMG) the race was over after eight laps. The 2010 DTM Champion had to retire because of a transmission defect.

The sixth race of the DTM season is scheduled for August 2 to 3 in Spielberg in Austria.

07.Jul 2014

Frederic Yerly dominates third round of DMV TCC

Yerly, Yerly, Yerly – in the fourth round of the International DMV TCC on the Salzburgring there was (almost) no way to get past the Swiss gullwing pilot Frederic Yerly. The ANTeam pilot drove the fastest time in the free training, secured the pole position in the first qualifying round, to once again confirm his position in the second qualifying round. Yerly also put up a flawless performance in the first race of the weekend, and hence secured a convincing start-to-finish win with his Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 – despite wet track conditions. In the second race, which was then able to be staged under dry conditions, Frederic Yerly once again managed to win a place on the podium by coming second overall. In his class 8 that meant victory.

The two other SLS AMG GT3s that joined the field of vehicles for this event were also able to put up a convincing performance. However, Bruno Stucky, who piloted the sister car with the #71 in both races, was not able to defend his eighth qualifying rank in the first race. In the rain the Swiss driver came 13th in the overall ranking, but at the same time this meant second place in his class 10. In the second race Stucky improved his seventh qualifying rank, and came in overall sixth – which once again meant second place in class 10.

In the first race on the Salzburgring Stefan Eilentropp took his place in the cockpit of the gullwing with the #69 on behalf of Land Motorsport. He started the race from 13th place, and after 15 exciting laps came twelfth in the overall ranking, and took sixth place in his class 8. In the second race Christian Land took over the wheel of the vehicle. After starting from third position, the German fought a remarkable battle for a place on the podium. Land was in third place until two laps before the end, but he lost this during a lapping maneuver – leaving him fourth in the overall ranking and in third place in his class 8.

The next two races of the DMV TCC are scheduled for July 25 to 26 on the Hockenheimring.

07.Jul 2014

Three places on the podium at the Australian GT in Townsville

Three races and three places on the podium, and one of these a victory – the third round of the Australian GT Championship was a celebration for Richard Muscat at the wheel of the SLS AMG GT3 from EREBUS Motorsport GT with the #36. On the 2.850 km long Townsville Street Circuit the leader of the overall ranking impressively demonstrated his strength and further increased his lead.

Although this was the first time Muscat drove a gullwing on the roads of Townsville, the Australian immediately managed to cope very well: second place in the first race. In the second race of the weekend, which was staged on Sunday, the 21-year-old also staked a claim to leadership in the series: despite spinning his car, he once again gathered valuable points by securing third place in the overall rankings. In the afternoon the EREBUS driver also remained highly concentrated. With a sensational start and an equally impressive first lap, he managed to fight his way to the front of the field at the very beginning of the third race, and managed to maintain his lead throughout the 40-minute race, before crowning his performance with victory.

The fifth race of the Australian GT is scheduled for August 22 to 24 in Sydney Motorsport Park.

Australian GT Townsville (Australia):

Race 1:• EREBUS Motorsport GT #36, Richard Muscat (AUS), 2nd place.

Race 2:• EREBUS Motorsport GT #36, Richard Muscat (AUS), 3rd place.

Race 3:• EREBUS Motorsport GT #36, Richard Muscat (AUS), 1st place.

07.Jul 2014

Fourth round of the FFSA GT Tour

Last weekend the fourth round of the FFSA GT Tour was staged on the Val du Vienne racing circuit at Le Vigeant. Grégoire Demoustier and Laurent Coubard from AMG Customer Sports team Classic & Modern Racing began the race over the distance of 3.768 kilometers with the starting number 22.

The two French drivers already secured a place under the top ten by coming ninth in the qualifying round on Friday, and in the first race they managed to come tenth. On Sunday the gullwing began the second race from position 10. However, rain complicated conditions for the 15 vehicles which started in this exciting race to such an extent that Demoustier and Coubard finally crossed the finishing line in twelfth place.

The next race of the FFSA GT Tour is scheduled for September 6 to 7 at the French Magny-Cours circuit.

07.Jul 2014

International GT Open on the Hungaroring

Last weekend the fourth round of the current International GT Open season was staged on the Hungaroring near Budapest.The AMG Customer Sportteam Lechner Racing started the race with the gullwing #70, piloted by Mario Plachutta and AMG Pool Driver Thomas Jäger.On Saturday the SLS AMG GT3 started the first race from position 10 under favorable conditions. In an exciting race the pilot duo managed to catch up several places, and fought their way to seventh place over 33 laps.After Jäger and Plachutta had further improved their situation for the second race on Sunday during the qualifying round, and had secured fifth starting position, they unfortunately had to prematurely retire from the race after twelve laps.The fifth round of the International GT Open is scheduled for July 18 to 20 on the legendary Silverstone Circuit in Great Britain.

07.Jul 2014

Triumph on the Salzburgring at the FIA CEZ

In two races last weekend Jakub Knoll from the AMG Customer Sport team Charouz Racing System secured additional important points in the FIA CEZ championship on the Salzburgring.

The sixth and seventh race of this year’s FIA CEZ season was staged on the 4.241 km long racing circuit near Salzburg.

As usual, Knoll put up a convincing performance with top results. After starting from the pole position in the first race, he was well in command of the field of drivers, and was first to see the checkered flag. He masterfully repeated this performance on the Sunday, both in the qualification and in the main race, and was once again able to climb onto the top place on the podium.

With a lead of 14 points, Jakub Knoll is still top of the championship ranking.

In four weeks the next round of the FIA CEZ is scheduled to be staged in Autodrom Grobnik near the Croatian coast from August 2nd to 3rd.

FIA CEZ (Austria):

Race 1:• Charouz Racing System, Jakub Knoll (CZE), 1st place.

Race 2:• Charouz Racing System, Jakub Knoll (CZE), 2nd place.

07.Jul 2014

Consistent performance in the Blancpain Sprint Series

Last weekend the third race of the Blancpain Sprint Series was staged on the 4.307 km long dune circuit of Zandvoort. A total of three SLS AMG GT3s from AMG Customer Sport teams started in the Peloton with the field of 20 vehicles.

Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz from HTP Motorsport with the starting number 84 already put up a convincing performance in the qualifying round on Sunday, and only narrowly missed securing pole position. Poor weather complicated the racing conditions, which is why Bhuk lost his leading position. The two Germans finally crossed the finishing line in fourth place. The team’s sister car #63 with Sergei Afanasiev and Stef Dusseldorp in the cockpit retired after an accident in the qualifying round.

Armaan Ebrahim and Miguel Toril began the race for the team Fortec Motorsport in the vehicle with the starting number 63. They started the intensely fought race from position 14, and after 29 laps they secured 16th place. In their class, the Silvercup, they came third like they had done in the previous Blancpain Sprint Series race in Brands Hatch.

The race in the Netherlands was the third of a total of seven race weekends within the course of the Blancpain Sprint Series. The next race is scheduled for August 22 to 24 on the Slovakia Ring.

07.Jul 2014

Impressive debut in Townsville

The current V8 Supercars Championship was staged last weekend in Townsville, Australia. For Erebus Motorsport V8 Lee Holdsworth with the #4 and for the first time Will Davison with the #9 started in the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. Davison started the race spectacularly from position eight, and during the course of the race was able to catch up several places to cross the finishing line in third place. Team colleague Holdsworth finished the race in 22nd place.

In the second race an accident in the first lap impaired the two Erebus pilots, who then finally crossed the finishing line in 15th (Holdsworth) and 16th place (Davison).

The third race went considerably better for Da-vison: starting from position 8, he was able to finish the race in tenth place after 88 demanding laps. Holdsworth secured 13th position in the qualifying round, and subsequently came 15th in the main race.

07.Jul 2014

Home victory for Hamilton

It remains exciting in the premier competition. At the ninth race of the Formula 1 season on the Silverstone Circuit, Nico Rosberg had to abandon a race for the first time after 17 races (Hungary 2013). But team colleague Lewis Hamilton made sure that victory remained in the hands of MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS. That means that Nico Rosberg’s 29-point lead over Lewis Hamilton has been cut down to four points.

The race followed an exciting qualifying round, whose results were completely turned on their heads in the last minute. The pole position was secured by Nico Rosberg. Lewis Hamilton, who for a while looked certain to secure pole position, fell back from first to sixth place on the wet circuit.

During the race fortune then favored Hamilton, who had already fought his way back to second place during the fourth lap. Everything looked set for a challenging duel between the leader Rosberg and Hamilton – in hot pursuit behind him - until Rosberg had to finally retire with transmission problems during the 29th lap. The way was now free for Lewis Hamilton’s home win, because the British driver rounded off a perfect race with victory after 52 laps.

Formula 1 and the battle between Rosberg and Hamilton continue on July 20 on the Hockenheimring, where the tenth race of the 2014 Formula 1 season is scheduled to be held.

30.Jun 2014

Successful Appearance in the Blancpain Endurance Series at Paul Ricard

Last weekend two AMG Customer Sport teams competed in the third race of the Blancpain Endurance Series on the French Paul Ricard racing circuit in the heart of the Provence.

For Black Falcon Hubert Haupt, Abdulaziz Al Faisal and Andreas Simonsen started in the vehicle with the #19. The three Russians Yuri Loboda, Mikhail Loboda and Vladimir Lunkin took their places in the cockpit of the sister car #18. The AMG Customer Sport team HTP Motorsport also started with two SLS AMG GT3s. The gullwing with the starting number 84 was piloted by Maximilian Buhk, Harold Primat and Nico Verdonck. Stef Dusseldorp, Luca Wolf and Sergej Afanasiev drove the sister car #85.

The three gullwings were already able to hold onto positions under the top ten during the qualifying round on Saturday morning.

In the following race the HTP Motorsport Team with Wolf, Afanasiev and Dusseldorp at the wheel started the three-hour endurance race from position 2. The sister car #84 started from position 9, and rapidly caught up a few places. In an exciting neck-and-neck race ultimately the SLS AMG GT3 #85 prevailed and hence managed to secure a place on the podium. The gullwing #84 came fourth.

In the qualifying round the SLS AMG GT3 with the starting number 19 was able to secure tenth position on the starting grid in the field of 42 vehicles. In the subsequent race Haupt, Al Faisal and Simonsen were able to make further progress, and hence managed to cross the finishing line in ninth position. The sister car with the starting number 18 began the race from position 36 on the 5.791 km long racing circuit, but in the end wasn’t classified.

The next race of the Blancpain Endurance Series is scheduled for September 19 to 21 on the Nürburgring.

30.Jun 2014

Fourth race of the VdeV in Dijon

Last weekend the fourth race of the VdeV was held during 180 minutes on the 3,800 km long racing track Dijon-Prenois. For the second time this season an AMG Customer Sport team, G-Private Racing, participated in the competition. The gullwing was piloted by Philipp, Manuel and Adrian Zumstein.

In the qualifying round the SLS AMG GT3 with the starting number 30 came tenth. In the subsequent race the Zumsteins were able to hold onto their position amongst the 19 competitors throughout the 102 laps and also finished in tenth place.

30.Jun 2014

Start to Finish Victory in the DTM

Last weekend Robert Wickens from FREE MAN´S WORLD put up a very good performance to secure a commanding victory in the fourth race of the DTM – German Touring Cars Masters. The Canadian already showed the great power of the Mercedes AMG C Coupé during the qualifying round on the 2.3 km long Norisring. Consequently he started the race from pole position on the Sunday. Because of bad weather the field of 23 vehicles had to be sent into the race behind the safety car. However, even during strong rainfall Robert Wickens always had things under control and put a convincing performance with fast laps, which saw him secure victory after 82 laps. With 24 seconds lead, he left his competitors trailing behind him.

Pascal Wehrlein from gooix came fifth to complete the successful weekend for Mercedes AMG. After the qualifying round the 19-year-old German started the race from position four. In twelfth place followed Gary Paffett from EURONICS, who had started from position 5. The Mercedes AMG C Coupé from Petronas Mercedes AMG was piloted by Daniel Juncadella, and crossed the finishing line in 13th place. Paul di Resta came 15th. Vitaly Petrov started from position 23 in his Mercedes, and caught up a total of four places to come 19th. Christian Vietoris once again took his place in the cockpit of Original-Teile Mercedes AMG. However, in this race the winner of the second DTM race didn’t have any luck, and had to be content with the 21st place.

The next round of the DTM is scheduled for July 13 at the Moscow Raceway in Russia.

23.Jun 2014

•Second position for Black Falcon•Third position for ROWE RACING•Six Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 on the grid•Three race gullwings among the seven best

Nürburg/Affalterbach. The SLS AMG GT3 of Black Falcon with Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Andreas Simonsen (SWE), Christian Menzel and Lance David Arnold (both GER) finished second in the traditional 24-hour race at Nürburgring. Start number 1 initiated from position seven on the grid and crossed the finish line 24 hours later after 159 laps with a backlog of merely 2,59,70 minutes compared to the winner. Start number 22 of ROWE RACING with Michael Zehe, Christian Hohenadel, Nico Bastian and Maro Engel (all GER) finished the race in the third overall position. The team’s achievements were rounded up by HTP Motorsport with start number 15 – the driver quartet with Harold Primat (SUI), Maximilian Götz, Kenneth Heyer and Roland Rehfeld (all GER) came home seventh.

Six SLS AMG GT3 started in the 42nd display of the endurance race in the Eifel. Each of the AMG customer teams Black Falcon and ROWE RACING deployed two gullwings in the race while HTP Motorsport and Car Collection Motorsport started with one gullwing each.

23.Jun 2014

Class Victory in STT – Special Touring Car Trophy

Last weekend the third round of the STT season was staged within the course of the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring. Josef Klüber in the SLS AMG GT3 with the #4 participated in the race.

In the field of 45 vehicles competing in the race, Klüber started from position five on the North Loop. In the exciting race the driver from Alzenau put up a good performance and secured fourth place in the overall ranking. In his class 1 he was also able to celebrate first place. Josef Klüber is only six points behind, with a total of 101 points in the driver’s overall ranking, in a very good third place.

The next round of the STT is scheduled for July 18 to 20 in Belgium in the course of the Race Festival Spa-Franchorchamps.

STT - Special Touring Car Trophy (Germany):

#4, Josef Klüber (GER), fourth place.

23.Jun 2014

Third Round of the FFSA GT Tour

The third round of the current FFSA GT Tour season was staged on the venerable racing circuit Spa-Francorchamps from June 21 to 22. For the AMG Customer Sports team Classic & Modern Racing, Grégoire Demoustier and Laurent Coubard started on the 7.004 km long circuit. In the first of two races both Frenchmen started from 14th position, but had to abandon the race prematurely after 17 laps. Following the qualifying round the gullwing with the #22 started the second approximately one-hour race from position twelve. Through a good performance Demoustier and Coubard caught up four places, and crossed the finishing line in eighth place.

The next round of the FFSA GT Tour is scheduled for July 5 to 6 in Le Vigeant on the Circuit du Val de Vienne.

23.Jun 2014

Class Victory at the Pirelli World Challenge

From June 19 to 21 Tim Pappas from Black Swan Racing started in Wisconsin in two races of the current season within the course of the Pirelli World Challenge and secured victory in his class in the first race.

At “Road America“ the American started the first race of the weekend from position eleven. After 23 laps he caught up one place and came tenth in the overall ranking. In his class, the GT-A, he was able to secure a victory in his class, thanks to a strong performance. In the second race Pappas started from position 12 on the 6.515 km long circuit. In the end, despite a good performance Pappas only managed to come 16th in the overall ranking and sixth in his class.

The next round of the Pirelli World Challenge is scheduled for July 18 to 20 in Toronto / Canada on the “Honda Indy Toronto”.

Pirelli World Challenge (USA):

Race 1:Black Swan Racing, Tim Pappas (USA), tenth place.

Race 2:Black Swan Racing, Tim Pappas (USA), 16th place.

23.Jun 2014

Formula 1 Victory on the Spielberg

Nico Rosberg is once again the winner of a Formula 1 race. The 28-year-old German secured first place at the Grand Prix on the Spielberg in Austria, ahead of his team colleague Lewis Hamilton.

Following the qualifying round Rosberg started from third position in the eighth Grand Prix of the current season. Thanks to a flawless performance and a perfect pit stop strategy, Rosberg managed to overtake two competitors after 71 laps and secured his third win of the season. With 165 points and 29 points lead over Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg continues to have a commanding lead in the overall driver’s ranking. The English driver Hamilton started the race from position eight. Right from the outset he was able to catch up several places, and initially found himself in fourth place. Subsequently he put up a convincing performance with fast laps, which allowed him to move up into second place.

The ninth race of the 2014 Formula 1 season is scheduled for July 6 on the Silverstone Circuit in Great Britain.

16.Jun 2014

Third Round of the DMV TCC

Last weekend a total of four SLS AMG GT3s started in the fifth and sixth race of the current DMV Touring Car Challenge season.

The team Highspeed Racing sent Frederic Yerly onto the 4.574 km long Hockenheimring in the SLS AMG GT3 with the #70. The experienced pilot secured second starting position for the first race. In the ensuing race Yerly was set back by a 30-second drive-through penalty, and he consequently only managed to secure fifth place at the end of the race. In his class eight he came third. In the second race he was able to improve his fifth qualification place by one position, and after 18 laps he came fourth, not only in the overall ranking but also in his class.

In the first race Stefan Eilentropp, driving for Land Motorsport, went chasing points in the second SLS AMG GT3 with the #69 in the field of 30 vehicles. After starting from position 21, he was able to catch up five places and crossed the finishing line in 16th place. In class eight he came seventh. In the second race Christian Land took over in the cockpit of the gullwing, and started from position seven in the race lasting approximately 30 minutes. Through a courageous performance and fast lap times he was able to fight his way forwards to secure third place, and celebrate this place on the podium not only in the overall ranking but also in class eight.

The SLS AMG GT3 #81 started for Grasser Racing and was piloted by Ronald Hölling. In the first race he started from position 9, and came eighth (class eight: fourth). After the qualifying round he started from position twelve in the second race on the circuit. In the end he came seventh in the overall ranking and fifth in his class. Bruno Stucky piloted the gullwing with the #71 from ANTeam in both races. In the first race he came 14th because of a 30-second stop-and-go penalty, but celebrated third place in his class 10. He had to prematurely retire from the second race after five laps.

The next two races of the DMV TCC are scheduled for July 4 to 5 on the Salzburgring in Austria.

16.Jun 2014

Victory in Japan

Lam Yu and Takeshi Tsuchiya from AMG Customer Sports team AAI Motorsports secured second and third place within the framework of the Super Car Race Series in Japan in the SLS AMG GT3 with the #91.

In the first race – round five of the current season – Yu and Tsuchiya were only narrowly defeated, 1.096 seconds behind their competitors, in 31 exciting laps. However, in the second race, round six, the opposition had no chance: the two pilots put up a commanding performance to win the race on the Okayama International Circuit.

The next round of the Super Car Race Series is scheduled for July 5 and 6 in SUGO.

16.Jun 2014

Success at the FIA CEZ Endurance in Poznan, Poland

Last weekend the fifth and sixth race of this year’s FIA CEZ season were staged on the 4.0183 km long racing circuit Tor Poznan near Poznan The AMG Customer Sports program was represented by one gullwing from each of the following teams Premium Motorsport Poland (#8) and Charouz Racing (#9).

Piotr Krawczyk from the AMG Customer Sports team Premium Motorsport Poland put up a commanding performance in the qualifying round, and started the race on Saturday from pole position. The second SLS AMG GT3, piloted by Jakub Knoll, also successfully completed the qualifying round to secure second place. In the race itself Knoll was able to overtake Krawczyk right after the start. The latter crossed the finishing line in second place, while Knoll confidently secured victory.

In the second race the gullwing from Premium Motorsport Poland started from position 2, but was involved in a collision with a rival, and ultimately finished the race in fifth place. After the qualifying round Jakub Knoll’s SLS AMG GT3 started from position 3, and crossed the finishing line in second place after 16 laps.

The next round of the FIA CEZ is scheduled for July 5 and 6 on the Salzburgring.

FIA CEZ (Poland):

Race 1:Charouz Racing System #9, Jakub Knoll (CZE), first place.

Premium Motorsport Poland #8, Piotr Krawczyk (POL), second place.

Race 2:Charouz Racing System #9, Jakub Knoll (CZE), second place.

Premium Motorsport Poland #8, Piotr Krawczyk (POL), fifth place.

09.Jun 2014

Two Places on the Podium at ADAC GT Masters

Another strong performance from HTP Motorsport. Last weekend the team’s gullwing, driven by Maximilian Götz and Maximilian Buhk secured third place in both races of the ADAC GT Masters.

On Saturday after the qualifying round the team sent starting driver Götz onto the track from position three at the Red Bull Ring in Austria for the race which lasted approximately one hour. Right from the very outset he superbly defended his position in his SLS AMG GT3 #26, and remained in touch with the two leaders. Even after the mandatory change to his team colleague Buhk, there was never any risk to the team coming third, so at the end they were able to celebrate a place on the podium. Buhk was the first driver to take his place at the wheel of the gullwing on Sunday. Thanks to a superb race to catch up, the two motor sports pros were able to once again cross the finishing line in third place. HTP Motorsport’s sister car, #27, was driven by former Formula 1 pilot Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Luca Stolz. In the Saturday race they started from position 15 and came 22nd. They came twelfth in the race on Sunday (starting position 17).

ROWE RACING also started with two SLS AMG GT3s in Austria. The #22 was piloted by Nico Bastian and Jaime Alguersuari. Jan Seyffarth and Maro Engel took their places in the cockpit of the #23. In the first race of the weekend Nico Bastian started from position 16, and together with his colleague Alguersuari came eleventh. The second gullwing started the race from position 23. Through a courageous performance Seyffarth and the final driver Engel in the end managed to secure 13th place in their SLS AMG GT3. After the qualifying round the #22 started from position 19, and came tenth. The sister car #23 started out on the 4.318 km long circuit from position 18, and came thirteenth.

Luca Ludwig and Alon Day took their places at the wheel of the SLS AMG GT3 #21 from BKK Mobil Oil Racing Team Zakspeed. After the qualifying round they started the race on Saturday from position 12. In the field of 27 vehicles they put up a superb race to catch up, and in the end came seventh. They also put up a strong performance in the second race: the two motor sports pros started from position 13, and came sixth.

The next round of the ADAC GT Masters is scheduled for August 8 to 10 on the Slovakia Ring in Slovakia.

09.Jun 2014

Second Round of the International GT Open

Last weekend the second round of the current International GT Open season was staged in Portimao (Portugal). In two races the teams competed for important points in the championship. Amongst others, two AMG Customer Sport teams started the race. António Coimbra and Luis Silva took to the track for Sports & You in the gullwing with the #59. Lechner Racing sent Mario Plachutta and Thomas Jäger onto the 4.692 km long circuit in the SLS AMG GT3 #70.

After the qualifying round Coimbra / Silva started the first race of the weekend from position 19. In dry outdoor conditions and temperatures around 19°C the two Portuguese drivers fought their way to 15th place, and were still 15th when they crossed the finishing line. They came tenth in their GTS class. The first race was even slightly better for Lechner Racing. After starting from position 18, they caught up six places to come twelfth in the overall ranking and seventh in the GTS class. After the qualifying round Sports & You started the second race from position 16, and after 31 laps also finished in 16th place and twelfth in their class. Lechner Racing started from position six, and came 13th in the overall ranking and ninth in their class.

In just less than two weeks – from June 21 to 22 – the next race of the International GT Open is scheduled to take place in Jerez (Spain).

09.Jun 2014

Formula 1 in Canada

For the first time since the beginning of this season the winner of a Formula 1 race is not Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg. At the Great Prize of Montreal (Canada) the two Silver Arrow pilots had to struggle with different problems, and in the end were not able to secure victory.

After the qualifying round Lewis Hamilton started the seventh Grand Prix of the current season from position two. However, he had to abandon the race prematurely after 46 laps. Nico Rosberg once again put up a strong performance in the qualifying round and secured himself the pole position just like in the last Grand Prix in Monaco. In the end he just narrowly missed victory, and came second after 70 laps. The fact that Rosberg only narrowly missed victory, despite problems, once again illustrates the great performance of Mercedes AMG Petronas.

The eighth race of the 2014 Formula 1 season is scheduled for June 22 at Spielberg in Austria.

Formula 1 Great Prize of Montreal (Canada):

Mercedes AMG Petronas:

Nico Rosberg (MCO), second place.

Lewis Hamilton (MCO), not classified.

02.Jun 2014

Triple Victory for AMG Customer Sport teams with SLS AMG GT3

Peter Schmidt, Mirco Schultis, Renger van der Zande and Christian Bracke from AMG Customer Sports team Car Collection Motorsport are the winners of the premiere of t¬he 12-hour race at Zandvoort. In second place they are followed by Hofor Racing with Michael Kroll, Roland Eggimann, Kenneth Heyer, Christiaan Frankenhout and Maximilian Buhk. The third place went to the sister car #3 from Car Collection Motorsport with Dr. Johannes Kirchhoff, Gustav Edelhoff and Elmar Grimm in the cockpit.

After the qualifying round Renger van der Zande started from position six in the gullwing with the #33 from Car Collection Motorsport in the first three hours of the 12-hour race, which is divided into two parts (three hours on Friday and nine hours on Saturday). Through a brilliant start he caught up two places right at the beginning, and was then initially in fourth place. After finishing the first quarter of the race the SLS AMG GT3 #33 was in fourth place. The sister car #3 was in seventh place. At this stage the gullwing from Hofor Racing #2 secured first place in the field of 51 vehicles. The second part of the race started at 10 in the morning on Saturday. In the restart all SLS AMG GT3s from the various teams got off to a good start and fought an exciting duel to try and take the lead in the field. Approximately 160 minutes after the start of the second part of the race the SLS AMG GT3 #33 from Car Collection Motorsport moved into first place. Subsequently the team was able to partly race their way to seven laps lead. In the race dominated by several Code 60 phases, there was a serious accident after about two and a half hours before the end of the race, which led to a change in the circuit variant. After the accident site had been repaired, the race was able to be continued in the original variant. Subsequently the race was practically decided. Through fast laps the gullwing #33 was continually able to further increase its lead, which meant that the competitors had no chance of overtaking it. With seven laps lead after driving a total of 330 laps, Schmidt / Schultis / van der Zande / Bracke finally crossed the finishing line as winners.

The sister car from Hofor Racing, the number one of the team, which started with the same crew as the number two, struggled with technical problems. Consequently, in the end they only came twelfth despite starting from the pole position. The SLS AMG GT3 from GDL Racing #7 with Nigel Farmer, Gianluca de Lorenzi and Norbert Pauels started from seventh position on the 4.320 km long circuit and had to prematurely end the race after a collision, but they were nevertheless rated with 35th place.

02.Jun 2014

Third Race of the Super GT in Japan

On June 1st the third race of the current Super GT season was staged on the legendary Autopolis racing circuit in Kyusyu (JAP). A total of four AMG Customer Sports teams sent their SLS AMG GT3s into the 300 km race.

Following the qualifying round Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Björn Wirdheim started from fifth position for Team Gainer on the 4.673 km long circuit. After 59 laps they had caught up two places, and came third. Remarkably: Hiranaka and Wirdheim for Gainer have won a place on the podium in all races of the current season. The team’s sister car, with Masayuki Ueda and Hideki Yamauchi at the wheel, started the race from eleventh position and in the end came twelfth. Haruki and Tsubasa Kurosawa took their places at the wheel for Leon Racing in the third SLS AMG GT3. Thanks to an impressive race to catch up, they were able to improve their 14th position at the start of the race, and finish in the top ten. They came tenth. The gullwing from Greentec with the #22 was piloted by Hisashi Wada and Takeshi Tsuchiya. They started the race from 17th position and also crossed the finishing line in 17th place.

After three from eight races, Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Björn Wirdheim from AMG Customer Sports team Gainer are in second place in the drivers’ overall ranking. With 37 points they are only three points behind the leaders. They are followed by Haruki Kurosawa from Leon Racing in eighth place with ten points. Masayuki Ueda and Hideki Yamauchi, also from Team Gainer, came 19th place. In the team ranking Gainer is in second place with 46 points. Leon Racing is in eighth place with 19 points.

The next Super GT race is scheduled for July 19 to 20 on the race circuit “Sportsland SUGO”.

02.Jun 2014

Double Victory at the DMV Touring Car Challenge in Zandvoort

Following a successful start to the season in April, in the second race of the DMV TCC, Frederic Yerly from ANTeam was now even able to win both races from May 30 and 31 in his SLS AMG GT3.

On the 4.320 km long dune circuit near the Dutch town of Zandvoort, Yerly secured pole position in the qualifying round for the first race, and defended the lead during 18 laps, enabling him to cross the finishing line in first place. On Saturday in the second race Yerly was similarly successful. In the second race the SLS AMG GT3 pilot was already able to build up a lead in the first lap. He put up a commanding performance to defend this lead and came first with a total time of 31:12.478 minutes.

Two other gullwings started next to him, piloted by Bruno Stucky (ANTeam) and Josef Klüber (Schütz Motorsport). In the first race the two pilots fought an exciting duel for the seventh place. While Stucky was ahead in the first race, and left Klüber behind in eighth place, in the second race the two SLS AMG GT3 managed to improve their places: Josef Klüber was ahead of Bruno Stucky in sixth place.

The next two races of the DMV TCC are scheduled for June 13 to 14 on the Hockenheimring.

DMV Touring Car Challenge Zandvoort (Netherlands):

Race 1:ANTeam #70, Frederic Yerly (CH), first place.

ANTeam #71, Bruno Stucky (CH), seventh place.

Schütz Motorsport #28, Josef Klüber (GER), eighth place.

Race 2:ANTeam #70, Frederic Yerly (CH), first place.

ANTeam #71, Bruno Stucky (CH), eighth place.

Schütz Motorsport #28, Josef Klüber (GER), sixth place.

02.Jun 2014

Third and Fourth Race of the GT Asia

Last weekend the third and fourth race of the season was staged on the 4.673 km long race circuit in the Japanese prefecture of Oito. Michael Chua with the #14 started for the AMG Customer Sports team Mike Racing on the Autopolis International Circuit.

In the first of the two 50-minute races Chua first managed to come 14th, and in the second race the pilot from Mike Racing came 19th after 25 laps.

The fifth and sixth races of the GT Asia are scheduled for July 11 to 13 on the Fuji International Speedway, Japan.

GT Asia (Japan):

Race 1:Mike Racing # 96, Michael Chua (HKG), 14th place.

Race 2:Mike Racing # 96, Michael Chua (HKG), 19th place.

02.Jun 2014

Black Swan Racing Takes Part in the Pirelli World Challenge

From May 30 to June 1 the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix was staged within the framework of the Pirelli World Challenge. One of the drivers participating in both races of this racing event was Tim Pappas from AMG Customer Sports team Black Swan Racing.

In the first race on Saturday Pappas started out on the 3.782 km long circuit with his SLS AMG GT3 #54 from position 15. After 26 laps he caught up a total of three places and came twelfth. He came fifth in his class of the GT-A. The American started from position 13 in the Sunday race to come fourteenth in the overall ranking and third in his class.

The next round of the Pirelli World Challenge is scheduled for June 19 to 21 in Wisconsin at the “Road America”.

02.Jun 2014

Third and Fourth Race of the Italian GT in Monza

On June 1 one SLS AMG GT3 took part in the second race of the season in the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. In their gullwing #24 Luís Sá Silva and Fancisco Mora started the race for the AMG Customer Sports team Sports & You.

On the challenging circuit with long straights the two pilots were 5.309 seconds behind the leading drivers in the qualifying round, and started the race from position 18. The team retired after 22 laps. In the second race Francisco Mora started from position 14. In the end Mora landed in the gravel at the second chicane during the seventh lap and finally secured 18th place with his team colleague.

The third race of the Italian GT is scheduled for July 11 to 13 in Mugello.

02.Jun 2014

Second Round of the FFSA GT Tour

Last weekend the second round of this year’s FFSA GT Tour was staged in Lédenon, France. Grégoire Demoustier and Laurent Coubard started for the AMG Customer Sports team Classic & Modern Racing. In the first of the two races they started from position 12, but had to abandon the race prematurely. They started from position 14 in the second race of the 3.14 km long circuit. Unfortunately they once again had to abandon the race before the finish.

The third round of the FFSA GT Tour is scheduled for June 21 to 22 on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

26.May 2014

Victory at ADAC GT Masters

Last weekend Maximilian Götz and Maximilian Buhk won the Saturday race of the ADAC GT Masters at the Lausitzring with their SLS AMG GT3 #26. Apart from the winners from HTP Motorsport, the AMG Customer Sports teams BKK Mobil Oil Racing Team Zakspeed #21 (Luca Ludwig / Alon Day), ROWE RACING with the #22 (Nico Bastian / Jaime Alguersuari) and the #23 (Jan Seyffarth / Maro Engel) and the sister car of HTP Motorsport #27 (Heinz-Harald Frentzen / Luca Stolz) took part in the third race of the GT Masters.

After the qualifying round the starting driver Maximilian Buhk took to the 4.534 km long circuit from position six on Saturday. Directly after the start and even before the first corner the 21-year-old German was able to move into second place. Thanks to a perfect pit stop in the middle of the race, when Maximilian Götz took over the gullwing, the team took the lead in the field of 25 vehicles. Subsequently Götz drove fast laps to further increase his lead and secured a commanding victory after 43 laps. In the Sunday race Buhk / Götz were involved in an accident on the last lap and had to retire from the race prematurely when they were in a promising position. However, the two motor sports pros were subsequently rated 16th with one lap behind. At the start of the first race the team’s sister car had an accident and was therefore unable to continue this race. In the Sunday race they came 13th.

For ROWE RACING and the team’s #22, Nico Bastian took his place behind the steering wheel as the starting driver in the first race. After the qualifying round he started from ninth position, and was then able to catch up several places and after just under 30 minutes he was able to hand the car over to Jaime Alguersuari in a good position. During the change of driver the team then had to struggle with technical problems, which set them way back in the rankings.

However, once he was back in the track the former Formula 1 driver Alguersuari then put up a strong performance and in the end came eighth with the SLS AMG GT3. In the Sunday race Alguersuari was the first to take to the track in Lausitz. After starting from position 12 he was able to directly move into tenth place. After Nico Bastian took over the gullwing in the middle of the race, he was able to move into ninth place shortly after the change. He subsequently managed to fight his way into eighth place through a spectacular overtaking manoeuvre. In the last round of the race Nico Bastian was lucky to benefit from a collision between two of his competitors and was hence able to cross the finishing line in seventh place. On Saturday Jan Seyffarth started in the team’s second SLS AMG GT3 in the sprint race lasting around one hour. Shortly after the start the 27-year-old briefly had to drive through the gravel bed to avoid an accident. Thanks to a strong performance by Seyffarth and his team colleague Maro Engel the #23 subsequently managed to catch up a total of five places and come ninth. Engel started the second race of the weekend from position eleven. Through a perfect start the former DTM pilot improved his position to move into sixth place. When the car was in sixth place, he handed it over to Jan Seyffarth in the stipulated driver change. Seyffarth defended his position in exciting duels, and in the last round improved it to come fifth.

In Lausitz the fifth SLS AMG GT3 also put up a strong performance in the League of Super Sports Cars. Having started from position 8 in the Saturday race Day / Ludwig caught up a total of three places, and came fifth. Things didn’t go so well during the race on Sunday. After securing position 14 in the qualifying round, they came 21st in the race. All classified SLS AMG GT3 crossed the finish line in the top ten.

The next round in the ADAC GT Masters will be held from June 6 to June 8 on the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

26.May 2014

Second Round of the Blancpain Endurance Series

Last weekend the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series was held on the legendary Silverstone Circuit in England. A total of two AMG Customer Sports teams sent four SLS AMG GT3s onto the 5.901 km long circuit.

The gullwing with the #85 from AMG Customer Sports team HTP Motorsport was piloted by Lucas Wolf, Sergei Afanasiev and Stef Dusseldorp. Nico Verdonck, Harold Primat and AMG Customer Sports driver Bernd Schneider took their places in the cockpit of the team’s sister car with the #84. Hubert Haupt, Abdulaziz Al Faisal and Andreas Simonsen drove the SLS AMG GT3 #19 for the team Black Falcon. Mikhail and Yury Loboda as well as Vladimir Lunkin took the wheel in the team’s second gullwing.

The #85 from HTP Motorsport started from position 16 in the endurance race lasting around three hours. The team managed to catch up a total of eleven places through an outstanding chase, and crossed the finishing line in fifth place. The second SLS AMG GT3 from HTP Motorsport started from seventh place and came sixth. After the qualifying round Haupt, Al Faisal and Simonsen started the second race of the current season from position 14. Due to a collision at the start the vehicle initially fell back to the end of the field. They subsequently fought their way to seventh place through a strong performance, but then they once again had bad luck when a drive-through penalty was imposed on them. In the end they came 22nd. The sister car started from position 41 and came 33rd.

The next race of the Blancpain Endurance Series is scheduled for June 27 to June 28 in France on the Paul Ricard Circuit.

26.May 2014

Second Race of the STT - Special Touring Cars Trophy in Oschersleben

Last weekend the second race of the prestigious, traditional Special Touring Cars Trophy was staged in Magdeburger Börde.

Josef Klüber took to the cockpit of his gullwing with the #68 on behalf of the AMG Customer Sports team Schütz Motorsport. Klüber had already put up a strong performance against his rivals in the qualifying round, and started the first race from position four. In his SLS AMG GT3 he was able to defend his position and at the end of the race he crossed the finishing line in fourth place. He also secured victory in his class (D1-1). After this convincing performance Klüber started the second race of the weekend from position five after the qualifying round, and once again showed his skills and tenacity. In 19 laps he managed to catch up two places, and at the end of the race was rewarded by coming third and winning another victory in his class.

The second race of the STT will be staged from June 19 to 22 on the Nürburgring.

STT - Special Touring Cars Trophy (Germany):

Race 1:

Schütz Motorsport #68, Josef Klüber (GER), fourth place

Race 2:

Schütz Motorsport #68, Josef Klüber (GER), third place

26.May 2014

Victory in the Second Round of the Australian GT on Philipp Island

In the third race of the new season AMG Customer Sports team EREBUS Motorsport sent an SLS AMG GT3 onto the 4.450 km long racing circuit in Australia. The gullwing #36 was piloted by Richard Muscat and Jack LeBrocq.

After three training sessions on Friday, the team from EREBUS Motorsport secured second position in the qualifying round. Richard Muscat dominated the race right from the very beginning. Even after a long safety car phase the EREBUS motorsport pilot managed to fight his way back to the pole position, and handed the car over to his team colleague Jack LeBrocq with a clear lead. However, just a few minutes from the end of the race LeBrocq lost the lead, and was in second place when he saw the checkered flag.

The third round of the Australian GT is scheduled for July 4 to 6 on the Townsville Street Circuit, Queensland.

26.May 2014

Unbroken Series of Victories for Mercedes AMG Petronas in Formula 1

At the Great Prize of Monaco, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were able to continue the series of successes for Mercedes AMG PETRONAS. Last weekend in the sixth race of the current Formula 1 season Nico Rosberg once again put up a brilliant performance and in the end stood right at the top on the winners’ podium. Lewis Hamilton followed in second place.

In the qualifying round Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were able to continue where they left off with their double win from the last races. Now, with a time of 01:15.989 minutes, Rosberg was even slightly faster than his team colleague Hamilton (01:16.048 minutes). Consequently Rosberg started the race from the pole position on the demanding urban circuit of Monte Carlo with a length of 3.340 kilometers, with Hamilton just behind in second position. Just like in the previous races, the two Silver Arrows dominated the field of 22 vehicles right from the start, and after an early safety car phase they defended their top positions. In round 12 Rosberg first of all managed to build up a lead of over a second on his colleague Hamilton, and throughout the rest of the race he managed to constantly improve his lead. After a total time of 1:49.27.661, he was in the lead when he crossed the finishing line, followed by Hamilton, and consequently secured another 25 points. Rosberg is now also in first place in the drivers’ overall ranking, with 122 points.

Lewis Hamilton secured 18 points in this race, and is now second in the drivers’ ranking, with just four points less than Rosberg. Both Mercedes pilots can now rely on a commanding points lead over their nearest rival for the coming races, with 61 and 57 points difference between them and the third-placed driver.

On June 8 the seventh race of the 2014 Formula 1 season will be staged on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada.

Formula 1 Great Prize of Monaco (Monaco):

Mercedes AMG Petronas:

Nico Rosberg (MCO), first place.

Lewis Hamilton (MCO), second place.

19.May 2014

Triumph in the VLN

A total of six SLS AMG GT3s representing four AMG Customer Sport teams took to the track in the fourth VLN race on the Nürburgring. Michael Zehe, Nico Bastian, Christian Hohenadel and Maro Engel with the #6 started for ROWE RACING. The second SLS AMG GT3 with the #7 for the Worms-based racing team was piloted by Klaus Graf, Thomas Jäger, Richard Göransson and Jan Seyffarth. The gullwing from Black Falcon, with Lance David Arnold, Andreas Simonsen and Christian Menzel in the cockpit, started with the #3. The team’s sister car with the #9 started the race with Abdulaziz Al Faisal, Adam Christodoulou, Yelmer Buurman and Hubert Haupt. The SLS AMG GT3 with the #18 from Weiland Racing was piloted by Andreas Weiland, Bert Flossbach and Alexey Veremenko. Car Collection Motorsport started the race with the #33, piloted by Heinz Schmersal, Horst Felbermayr, Christian Bracke and Peter Schmidt.

This weekend on the Nürburgring was particularly successful for the two cars from Black Falcon. The SLS AMG GT3 with the #3 already put up an impressive performance in the time training, and started the race from the pole position. Arnold confidently defended his lead in the first lap. His team colleagues also subsequently consistently continued the successful strategy and hence secured overall victory and at the same time victory in the team’s class. The winning team also drove the fastest lap with a time of only 08:10.910 minutes. In this important final preparation for the 24-hour race the Black Falcon team was able to display its best side. The sister car with the #9 started from position three, and managed to stay with the leaders throughout the laps, and crossed the finishing line in fifth place after 18 laps.

Christian Hohenadel took to the track on behalf of ROWE RACING, starting from position four. Initially he was able to keep up with the leaders thanks to a strong performance, but then had to finish early during the fifth lap, because of technical problems. The second gullwing from ROWE RACING was fairly lucky under the circumstances: starting from position 17, they initially managed to fight their way to sixth place, but were then involved in a collision and had to retire early. Through a bumper-to-bumper crash on Döttinger Höhe the fourth VLN race was ended prematurely with the red flag after three hours. However, the distance already driven was sufficient for a ranking with a complete number of points, so Klaus Graf, Thomas Jäger, Richard Göransson and Jan Seyffarth were ranked with seventh place.

Weiland Racing started the four-hour endurance race from position 35. Despite of a puncture, the team with the #18 came 41st.

As the sixth SLS AMG GT3 the gullwing from Car Collection Motorsport started the race from position 42 and was able to defend this place against its competitors for 17 laps. After three hours they crossed the finishing line in 42nd place.

The next VLN race, the 54th Reinoldus-endurance race, is scheduled to take place on July 5.

19.May 2014

Round Two of the Blancpain Sprint Series

Last weekend the second race of the current Blancpain Sprint Series season was staged on the legendary Brands Hatch racing circuit in Great Britain.

With Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz for HTP Motorsport the winners of the first race of the season once again took to the track. In order to repeat the result from Nogaro, the two motor sports pros already put up a strong performance on Sunday morning in the qualifying round and came second. In the subsequent main race, right from the very outset an extremely exciting race developed between the first three cars in the field of 19 vehicles. Starting driver Maximilian Buhk tried to take the lead through deliberate attacks. Unfortunately he didn’t succeed, but he did manage to put up a commanding performance to defend his second place. Shortly after the first half of the race he then subsequently handed over to his team colleague Götz, who secured the good placing and in the end was in an unchallenged second place when he saw the checkered flag.

The teams’s sister car, with Sergei Afanasiev and Stef Dusseldorp at the wheel, had to retire early from the qualifying round after an accident due to damage caused by the collision. Also they could not start in the main race. Fortec Motorsport sent the third SLS AMG GT3 onto the race track. Armaan Ebrahim and Miguel Toril took their places in the cockpit of the gullwing. After coming 16th in the qualifying round, they managed to come 14th in the main race. In both races they came third in their class, the Silver Cup.

The race in Great Britain was the second from a total of seven race weekends within the course of the Blancpain Sprint Series. The next race will take place from 27th to 28th June on the Paul Ricard Circuit in France.

19.May 2014

FIA CEZ as a Guest on the Red Bull Ring in Austria

Last weekend the third and fourth race of this year’s FIA CEZ season was staged on the Red Bull Ring near Salzburg. A total of four AMG Customer Sport teams sent their SLS AMG GT3s into the different races which were held within the course of the event.

The Czech driver Jakub Knoll started the two sprint races for Charouz Racing System in Austria. In the exciting races, which both lasted almost 25 minutes, he put up a very convincing performance, and was able to celebrate victory in both races. Piotr Krawczik in the gullwing with the #8 went chasing points for Premium Motorsport Poland. He started both races from second position, and the experienced driver put up commanding performances to secure second place in both the first and second races.

Manuel and Adrian Zumstein started the FIA CEZ endurance race on behalf of the AMG Customer Sports team G-Private Racing. In the qualifying round they already showed their great performance capability and secured pole position. They also put up a strong performance in the following race, and came second after 74 laps. Michael Yenci started the two-hour endurance race for Seyffarth Motorsport. Unfortunately Yenci had to end the race prematurely after 39 laps.

FIA CEZ (Austria)

FIA CEZ Sprint Race

Race 1:

Charouz Racing System, Jakub Knoll (CZE), first place.

Premium Motorsport Poland, Piotr Krawczyk (POL), second place.

Race 2:

Charouz Racing System, Jakub Knoll (CZE), first place.

Premium Motorsport Poland, Piotr Krawczyk (POL), second place.

FIA CEZ Endurance Race:

G-Private Racing, Manuel and Adrian Zumstein (both CH), second place.

Seyffarth Motorsport, Michael Yenci (GER), not classified.

19.May 2014

Victory in the DTM

Christian Vietoris from the Original-Teile Mercedes AMG team secured victory in the second race of the DTM – German Touring Car Masters. The 25-year-old motor sports pro started from position 16 on the 3.696 km long circuit. Thanks to a perfect team strategy and an impressive race in pursuit of the leaders, he was able to celebrate the first DTM victory of his career in Oschersleben. In the spectacular race – which was dominated by several safety car phases because of the poor weather – the young German was in command of the situation throughout the race and was the first to cross the finishing line after 44 laps. With this victory Vietoris now has 25 points and is in second place in the drivers’ ranking of the current season. With the British driver Paul di Resta in fourth place another Mercedes AMG pilot completed the successful weekend in Magdeburger Börde. The Mercedes AMG C-Coupe from EURONICS was piloted by Gary Paffett. After starting from position 17, he caught up nine places to come eighth. Vitaly Petrov began the race in his Mercedes with the #20 from position 22 and came 17th. Pascal Wehrlein from gooix, Daniel Juncadella from Petronas Mercedes AMG and Robert Wickens from FREE MAN’S WORLD retired prematurely from the race.The next round of the DTM is scheduled for June 1 on the Hungaroring in Hungary.

DTM – German Touring Car Masters (Germany)

Original Teile Mercedes AMG, Christian Vietoris (GER), first place.

Mercedes AMG, Paul di Resta (GBR), fourth place.

EURONICS Mercedes AMG, Gary Paffett, eighth place.

Mercedes AMG, Vitaly Petrov (RUS), seventeenth place.

Mercedes AMG, Pascal Wehrlein (GER), not classified.

Petronas Mercedes AMG, Daniel Juncadella (ESP), not classified.

FREE MAN´S WORLD Mercedes AMG, Robert Wickens (CAN), not classified.

12.May 2014

Second Race of the ADAC GT Masters Season in Zandvoort / Netherlands

Last weekend the second race of the current ADAC GT Masters season was held in Zandvoort / Netherlands. A total of three AMG Customer Sports teams started out with their SLS AMG GT3a on the race track near Amsterdam.

Luca Stolz and ex Formula 1 driver Heinz Harald Frentzen took to the track in their gullwings with the #27 on behalf of HTP Motorsport on the 4.320 km long circuit. Maximilian Götz and Maximilian Buhk took their places in the sister car with the #26. The field of 25 vehicles was sent onto the track in extremely bad outdoor weather conditions for the first race on Saturday. Stolz and Frentzen started from position 9, while Götz and Buhk began the race from position 23. Because of the strong rain there were several duels between rivals, particularly at the beginning of the race. The starting driver Luca Stolz was in 8th place when he handed the car over to his colleague Frentzen, and Maximilian Götz caught up eight places, so that Buhk was able to take over the car in 15th place. He also put up a very strong performance, catching up another six places to finally come ninth. The sister car had to end the race prematurely because of a collision with a rival during the last lap, but was nevertheless rated with 14th in the ranking. In the race on Sunday Stolz / Frentzen started from 14th place but had to end the race prematurely after twelve rounds and did not receive any points in the ranking. Götz / Buhk started from seventh position and came sixth.

Jan Seyffarth and Maro Engel piloted the SLS AMG GT3 with the #23 from ROWE RACING. Following the qualifying round, they started the race from position 22 in the first race, and the two motorsports pros managed to put up an impressive race to catch up, and managed to secure 13th place shortly before the finish. However, when their car spun just five minutes before the end of the race they lost a few places and only came 19th. In the second race on the Sunday Maro Engel took to the track from eleventh position. Just like the race on Saturday, bad weather had a big impact on what happened on the circuit. Engel only narrowly managed to avoid a collision in the starting phase of the race, which cost him precious time and meant that he initially fell back several places. However, subsequently Engel / Seyffarth once again fought to catch up, and in the end came tenth.

Luca Ludwig and Alon Day fought for points in the Netherlands on behalf of BKK Mobil Oil Zakspeed in the car with the #21. In the first race they started from position 20 and came 24th after they had to end the race prematurely after an accident during the 27th lap. On Sunday they started the race from position 13, and came eleventh thanks to a good performance.

The next round of the ADAC GT Masters will be staged from May 23 to 25 on the Lausitzring in Germany.

12.May 2014

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg secured their fourth consecutive double victory. Last weekend the British driver Hamilton won for the fourth consecutive time in a Formula 1 race. His team colleague Rosberg once again came second. Altogether Mercedes AMG PETRONAS has won all races up to now in the current season.

Right from the very outset the two Silver Arrow pilots proved their great power at the Great Prize of Spain on the Circuit de Catalunya. Just like in the past races Hamilton / Rosberg already dominated from the qualifying round on Saturday. With a time of 01:25.232 minutes Lewis Hamilton narrowly beat his colleague (01:25.400 minutes). In the subsequent race on Sunday he then got off to a perfect start and took advantage of his pole position to take the lead of the field of 20 vehicles. He put up a commanding performance from start to finish and secured victory after 66 laps. Rosberg also got off to a good start on the 4.655 km long circuit, stayed hard on the heels of his team colleague in closest pursuit. In the end he secured a superb second place, only 0.636 seconds behind Hamilton.

After this race Lewis Hamilton leads the drivers’ overall ranking with 100 points. Nico Rosberg follows just three points behind in second place with 97 points. The third-placed F1 pilot is already 48 points behind Rosberg. Mercedes AMG PETRONAS also has a commanding lead in the constructors’ rankings: after five of 19 races that have been held, the Silver Arrows already have 197 points and are 113 points ahead of the second placed team (84 points).

On May 25 the sixth race of the 2014 Formula 1 season will be staged on the Circuit de Monaco in Monaco.

28.Apr 2014

VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring 3rd Race

Altogether three AMG Customer Sport teams sent their SLS AMG GT3s onto the track at Nürburgring for the third VLN race. Yelmer Buurman, Hubert Haupt and Christian Menzel took their places in the cockpit of the gullwing with the #9 on behalf of Black Falcon. Andreas Weiland, Bert Flossbach and Anders Buchhardt took to the track in the Eifel for Weiland Racing in the car with the #18. The SLS AMG GT3 from Car Collection Motorsport was piloted by Klaus Koch, Horst Felbermayr and Christian Bracke.

Black Falcon started the four-hour endurance race from position four. The starting driver Hubert Haupt was already able to catch up one place after the first lap and establish himself amongst the group of leaders through fast times. After four laps he took the lead in the field of 195 vehicles, and the car was in 1st place when he handed it over to his team colleague. Buurman and Menzel also put up a strong performance, but were unable to defend their lead right through to the finish. They finally crossed the finishing line in fifth place.

Christian Bracke was the first driver to take to the track for Car Collection Motorsport. He began from 35th position and was able to make good several places through a very good start. Subsequently Horst Felbermayr and Klaus Koch also put up a flawless performance. They consistently drove fast laps to increasingly work their way to the front, and in the end came 25th in the overall ranking.

Weiland Racing sent the third SLS AMG GT3 into the fray at the “green hell”. The team also put up a good performance, starting from position 29 and – despite an unscheduled repair – catching up two places to come 27th.

The next VLN race, the 45th Adenauer ADAC Simfy Trophy is scheduled to take place on May 17.

28.Apr 2014

Off They Go in the FIA CEZ Circuit Championship

The AMG Customer Sports teams Premium Motorsport Poland and Charouz Racing System made their first appearances at this year’s FIA CEZ Circuit Championship season on the Hungarian Hungaroring.

During the first race Piotr Krawczyk for Premium Motorsport Poland put up a strong performance to catch up places: starting the race from the last position, in lap after lap he was able to overtake his rivals and in the end celebrated the third overall ranking. In his class, the GT3, he even managed to come second. In the second race the Pole started from third position and in the end he only narrowly missed a place on the podium, and came fourth in the overall ranking.

This weekend a second SLS AMG GT3 started for the AMG Customer Sports team Charouz Racing System during the course of the FIA CEZ. The Czech driver Jakub Knoll took his place in the cockpit of the gullwing. He started the first race from position eleven and came eighth. In the qualifying round for the second race he put up an impressive performance, and secured the second starting position. In the race itself he was able to confirm this strong performance, and once again celebrated coming second.

28.Apr 2014

Opening Victory at the ADAC GT Masters

Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz celebrated first place in the first race in the current ADAC GT Masters season in the etropolis Motorsportarena Oschersleben. Starting the race from position 3, the two motor sports pros from the AMG Customer Sports team HTP Motorsport put up an impressive performance right from the very start. Buhk, the starting driver, laid the foundations for victory in the first corner when he overtook his rivals and took over as leader of the field. He was subsequently able to gain a further lead on his rivals, and even two safety car phases could not unsettle him. He was still in the lead when he handed over the car to his colleague Götz in the second half of the race. The ADAC GT Masters Champion from 2012 then put up thrilling duels to defend his lead, masterfully holding off his rivals, and in the end won the first race of the season just ahead of his competitors. In the second race on Sunday the team had to retire early because an accident shortly after the start.

Former Formula 1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Luca Stolz began the race in the sister car on the 3.696 km long circuit. During the first race they came 21st. On the second race on Sunday they came seventh.

The third SLS AMG GT3 in the field, from ROWE RACING was piloted by Jan Seyffarth and Maro Engel. In the premier of the Super Sports Car Series the racing team from Worms put up a strong showing in both races: the team started the approximately one-hour race from tenth place in the first race on the Saturday. Seyffarth / Engel caught up a total of five places and came fifth. During the second race on the Sunday the starting driver Engel was initially lucky: he was not involved in the accident at the start. Subsequently an extremely exciting race unfolded as Engel was able to establish himself in the group of leaders. However, ROWE RACING was then unlucky when they changed drivers in the middle of the race: the team was punished with a Stop & Go penalty for not complying with the minimum pit stop time. Jan Seyffarth lost his place in the group of leaders. After 32 laps he crossed the finishing line in 13th place.

Luca Ludwig and Alon Day drove for BKK Mobil Oil Zakspeed in the two races of the weekend. In the first race they started from 13th position and came eleventh. After the qualifying round they started from 19th position in the second race. After a thrilling race in pursuit of the leaders they managed to catch up a total of eleven places, and were eighth when they saw the checkered flag.

28.Apr 2014

Top Ten Placing in the Pirelli World Challenge

Last weekend the third and fourth race of the Pirelli World Challenge was staged in Birmingham USA. Tim Pappas drove on behalf of the AMG Customer Sports team Black SwanRacing.

On Saturday Pappas started the first race, with 32 laps, from 14th position. The American celebrated his best result up to now this season by coming eighth. In his class (GT-A) he even took the first place. He once again put up a good performance in the second race on Sunday, and came thirteenth in the overall ranking and second in his class.

The next stage of the Pirelli World Challenge (GT-A class) will be staged from May 30 to June 1 in Detroit (USA).

28.Apr 2014

First Race of the DMV TCC

The first two races of this year’s DMV TCC – Touring Car Challenge were held from April 25 to 26. In the Czech city of Brünn a total of three SLS AMG GT3s started the race, with Frederic Yerly, Bruno Stucky (both ANTeam) and Mario Plachutta (Plachutta Racing). Frederic Yerly secured the best performances of the AMG GT3s in both races this weekend. The Swiss driver came third in the first race. In the second race he came fourth. His team colleague Bruno Stucky came eighth in the team’s sister car on Saturday and on Sunday he came tenth. Unfortunately Mario Plachutta could not participate in the race due to a technical defect in the qualifying.

The next two races of the DMV TCC will be staged in Zandvoort (NDL) from May 30 to 31.

28.Apr 2014

SLS AMG GT3 Racing in the FFSA GT Tour

Grégoire Demoustier and Laurent Coubard started out for the AMG Customer Sports team Classic & Modern Racing in the FFSA GT Tour last weekend in Le Mans (F). However, they were unable to participate in the race because of an accident during the qualifying round.

The second race of the current season takes place from May 31 to June 1 in Lédenon.

22.Apr 2014

Victory in First Race of Blancpain Sprint Series

Last weekend Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz (both GER) from the AMG Customer Sports team HTP Motorsport won the first race of this year’s Blancpain Sprint Series in Nogaro in France.

During the qualifying round on Sunday the two Germans already laid the foundation for their success in the main race on Monday: in poor outdoor conditions they started from position eight in the sprint lasting approximately one hour and secured the fifth qualification ranking. In the decisive main race on Monday the starting driver Buhk got off to a furious start and positioned his SLS AMG GT3 in third place. After four laps he was able to take the lead in the field of 19 vehicles. HTP Motorsport already called the gullwing into the pits after just 25 minutes, so that they could switch to a set of dry-weather tires at an early stage. Once the car was back on the track, Götz, who had taken over the cockpit when the tires were changed, was the first to make full use of the new tires and was hence able to drive the fastest times at this stage. Subsequently he once again took the lead and put up a commanding performance to defend his lead right through to the finish.

The team’s sister car with the #85 and Sergei Afanasiev (RUS) and Stef Dusseldorp (NDL) at the wheel started from sixth position in the race on the 3.636 km long circuit. Even before the first corner Afanasiev was able to catch up one place and move into fifth. He then remained close on the heels of his competitors, so that he was able to deservedly secure fourth place at the first opportunity. However, after the pit stop they lost this again. His team colleague Dusseldorp, who piloted the car in the second half of the race, also put up a very strong performance, and recaptured fourth place.

In the third SLS AMG GT3 in the field Miguel Toril (ESP) and Nico Bastian (GER) took their places in the cockpit for the AMG Customer Sports team Fortec Motorsport. They came thirteenth in the qualifying round. In the main race they came twelfth. The team’s second gullwing which started with the #62 was piloted by Benji Hetherington (UK) and Armaan Ebrahim (IND). Due to an accident in the training for the qualifying round, they were unable to participate in this and the following main race.

In a total of seven race weekends the different teams compete for points for the championship in the Blancpain Sprint Series. The next race is scheduled to be staged from May 17 to 18 on the Brands Hatch Circuit in Great Britain.

22.Apr 2014

Third Consecutive Double Victory in Formula 1

Mercedes AMG PETRONAS continues to dominate Formula 1 racing. Last weekend the winner was Lewis Hamilton (UK) for the third time in a row. Nico Rosberg (GER) followed in second place. This meant that Mercedes AMG PETRONAS has won all four races of the current season. The Silver Arrows have already won the first two places for the third consecutive time.

Right from the very start Lewis Hamilton left his competitors no chance in the Great Prize of China on the Shanghai International Circuit. He secured the pole position with a qualifying time of 01:53.860 minutes. After 54 laps he celebrated victory in a race where he put up a commanding performance from start to finish. Rosberg started the race from fourth position, but during the start he lost three places due to collision with a Williams pilot, and initially found himself back in seventh place. Through an exciting race on the heels of the leaders he managed to catch up five places and come second at the end of the race.

A circuit marshal caused a curiosity at this race: instead of raising the checkered flag after 56 laps he already waived it as Lewis Hamilton crossed the finishing line after just 55 laps. Consequently the status after 54 laps was evaluated (according to regulation: Article 43.3).

In the overall ranking the two Silver Arrow pilots are still in first and second place. Nico Rosberg is in first place with four points lead ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

The fifth race of the 2014 Formula 1 Season is scheduled to take place on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain on May 11, 2014.

14.Apr 2014

VLN Race 2 – 39. DMV 4-Hour Race

Two AMG Customer Sports teams each sent an SLS AMG GT3 onto the track at the Nürburgring for the second VLN race. For ROWE RACING Michael Zehe, Nico Bastian and Christian Hohenadel took their places in the cockpit of the gullwing with the #7. Christian Bracke, Klaus Koch and Johannes Siegler started for Car Collection Motorsport in the Eifel (#33).

In the morning’s qualifying round the gullwings already indicated how powerful they were: Nico Bastian from ROWE RACING left the competition standing with a fabulous time of 08:01.441 minutes, enabling him to secure pole position for his team.

At 12 midday the race punctually got off to a start with no less than 173 vehicles participating in the four-hour endurance race through the “green hell”. Unfortunately the second race of the season was dogged by serious accidents, particularly at the beginning of the race. Because of this the race already had to be interupted for almost three hours after just five laps. At the track section Pflanzengarten an accident occurred which required the crash barrier to be repaired.

When the race was restarted shortly after 4 pm both ROWE RACING and Car Collection got off to a good start and were able to do well in the remaining field of drivers. Nico Bastian from ROWE RACING drove his SLS to the fore and fought for a place on the podium in the intensive race. However, during the eighth lap his chances of winning a place on the podium, were dashed when his car spun after a competitor collided with it. In the end the racing team from Worms consequently had to make do with eleventh place. Car Collection Motorsport finished the race in 27th place.

14.Apr 2014

Start of the STT – Special Touring Car Trophy

Last weekend the first two races of this year’s STT Season were staged at Hockenheimring. Josef Klüber started for the AMG Customer Sports team Schütz Motorsport as well as Maximilian Völker in his SLS AMG GT3 with the #72.

Völker then already received a good result right from the start in the first race, coming seventh in the overall ranking. After the qualifying round he started from eighth position and was able to catch up one place in 15 laps, and consequently was able to celebrate a top ten placing in the first race of the season. In his class, the D1-1, he secured victory. Josef Klüber crossed the finishing line in 20th place, and came fourth in the D1-1 class.

In the second race, which began on Sunday, Maximilian Völker had to prematurely end the race after just five laps. In the qualifying round Josef Klüber already indicated that he would do much better in the second race than the first one. Consequently he started from position 8 in the race and at the end finished seventh. He was also able to celebrate victory in his class.

The next STT race will be staged from May 23 to 25 in Oschersleben.

14.Apr 2014

Strong SLS AMG GT3 Representation in the Blancpain Endurance Series

From April 11 to 13 April a total of four gullwings started in the first race of this year’s Blancpain Endurance Series in Monza, Italy.

Harold Primat, Nico Verdonck and Maximilian Buhk took their places in the cockpit of the SLS AMG GT3 with the #84 for the AMG Customer Sports team HTP Motorsport. Sergei Afanasiev, Stef Dusseldorf and Lucas Wolf started in the team’s sister car with the #85. Black Falcon also sent two vehicles into the three-hour endurance race: Vladimir Lunkin, Yury Loboda and Mikhail Loboda piloted the team’s #18. Abdulaziz Al Faisal, Hubert Haupt and Andreas Simonsen took the steering wheel in the second SLS.

The #84 from HTP Motorsport started from position ten on the 5.793 km long track. The team with last year’s Blanpain winner, Buhk, was able to catch up a total of five places, and came fifth. Because of a Stop&Go penalty the second HTP Motorsport SLS only came eleventh. Al Faisal, Haupt and Simonsen in the SLS AMG GT3 #19 from Black Falcon started the race from position 23 after the qualifying round. Thanks to a good performance, they caught up nine places and were in 14th place when they saw the checkered flag. The sister car had to end the race prematurely but were ranked in 37th place.

The next race in the Blancpain Endurance Series will be staged from June 23 to 25 in England on the legendary Silverstone Circuit.

14.Apr 2014

Second Race of the Pirelli World Challenge

The second round of the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) was staged on the “Streets of Long Beach” from April 11 to 13. Tim Pappas in his SLS AMG GT3 with the #54 started for the AMG Customer Sports team Black Swan Racing on the 3.167 km long circuit in California.

After the team had been forced to abandon the first PWC race early because of an accident, this time things went according to plan. In their class, the GT-A, they only narrowly missed a place on the podium when they came fourth. They had come 18th in the qualifying round, but caught up five places better to come 13th in the overall ranking.

The next stage of the Pirelli World Challenge will be staged from April 25 to 27 in Birmingham (USA) in Barber Motorsports Park.

07.Apr 2014

Mercedes-AMG Dominates Formula 1

Last weekend Mercedes-AMG celebrated the third consecutive victory in Formula 1. At the Great Prize of Bahrain the two Silver Arrows also secured the second double victory within a week. Just like in Malaysia, Lewis Hamilton convincingly beat his 17 rivals, and crossed the finishing line in first place after 57 laps. His team colleague Nico Rosberg came second.

During the qualifying session on Saturday it already became apparent that the third race of the season would develop into an extremely exciting duel between the two Mercedes-AMG pilots. At the end of this qualifying session Nico Rosberg just managed to outpace Lewis Hamilton, and hence started from the pole position in the race in the Sakhir Desert.

On the race on Sunday both Silver Arrows got off to a good start. However, Poleman Rosberg was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton, and found himself in second place again after the first few corners. Subsequently both pilots quickly managed to build up an impressive lead on their competitors. In the 18th lap they had managed to leave the third-placed car trailing 35 seconds behind them. Rosberg thought that this offered a great opportunity to attack, and tried to overtake Hamilton. However, Hamilton countered skillfully to leave Rosberg in second place for the moment. Just a lap later the young German tried his luck once again. This time he managed to overtake Hamilton. But just a few seconds later Hamilton was ahead again. In the end Lewis Hamilton won the race just ahead of his colleague with a lead of just 1.085 seconds.

Nico Rosberg now has 61 points and is still number one in the drivers’ overall ranking. He is followed by his team colleague Lewis Hamilton, who is second in the ranking with 50 points and 22 points lead on the third-placed driver. Mercedes-AMG also has a clear lead in the team ranking: with 111 points, the Silver Arrows are 67 points ahead of their second-placed rivals.

Round four of the Formula 1 Season 2014 follows on April 20, 2004. At the Great Prize of China the teams compete for important points in the Championship at the Shanghai International Circuit.

07.Apr 2014

The Race is On for the Super GT 2014

From April 5 to 6 the first race of this year’s Super GT Season was staged in Okayama, Japan. A total of four AMG Customer Sports teams started their SLS AMG GT3s on the 3.703 km long circuit.

Katsuyuki Hiranaka (JAP) and Björn Wirdheim (SWE) started for the Gainer team. The gullwing with the #11 began the almost two-hour race from sixth position after the qualifying session. There was a very strong field of drivers, who fought exciting duels for the lead amongst the 24 competing vehicles. In the end they only narrowly missed securing their second successive victory in Okayama because of tire damage, and came third. The team’s sister car, with Masayuki Ueda (JAP) and Hideki Yamauchi (JAP) came tenth.

Haruki Kurosawa and Kyosuke Mineo (both JAP) piloted the SLS AMG GT3 from Leon Racing. After starting from ninth position they caught up a total of four places, and crossed the finishing line in fifth place. Hisashi Wada and Takeshi Tsuchiya, also both from Japan, took their places in the cockpit of the SLS from Greentec Tsuchiya. Starting from position 21, they caught up one place to come 20th.

The next race of the Super GT will be staged from May 3 to 4 on the “Fuji Speedway” in Oyama.

07.Apr 2014

ADAC Qualifying Session 24-Hour Race Nürburgring

In just less than two and a half months the time has come: From June 19 - 22 the world’s most grueling endurance race is staged, the 24-Hour Race Nürburgring. This year for the first time a qualification race was held beforehand on the North Loop. Over the distance of six hours the various teams were able to test their deployment in the “green hell” under real racing conditions to prepare for the 24-hour race in June.

Two SLS AMG GT3s from the AMG Customer Sports teams Black Falcon and HTP Motorsport participated in the race. Abdulaziz AlFaisal (SAU), Stephan Rösler (GER), Christian Menzel (GER) and Jeroen Bleekemolen (NLD) started in the Eifel in the 24-hour race for the previous year’s winner Black Falcon. At the end they came fifth. The gullwing from HTP Motorsport was piloted by Maximilian Götz, Kenneth Heyer, Roland Rehfeld (all GER) and Harold Primat (CH). From the beginning the starting driver Götz turned the pole position from the qualifying session into a lead, and hence put himself at the fore of the strong field of participants with 51 vehicles. However, shortly before the end HTP Motorsport was plagued by bad luck. When they were in third place they had to prematurely retire with their SLS AMG GT3 because the vehicle was damaged after contact with a competitor.

Since the times from the qualification session this weekend were decisive for the top 30 qualifying in the 24-hour race, the two vehicles were able to qualify for this.

31.Mar 2014

Historic Double Victory for Mercedes-AMG in Malaysia

Last weekend Mercedes-Benz was not only able to secure the second consecutive victory but also a historic double victory in Formula 1. For the first time since May 1955 two Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows won the first two places in a Formula 1 race.

The two Mercedes-AMG pilots Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg already showed the great performance of their vehicles in the qualifying round. With a time of 01:59.431 minutes, Hamilton secured the pole position. Rosberg started the second Grand Prix of the season from third place (02:00.050 minutes). The young German was already able to overtake World Champion Sebastian Vettel shortly after the start and move up one place. Subsequently Rosberg skillfully defended his lead over Vettel and was consequently in second place when he saw the checkered flag after 01:40:25 hours. Poleman Hamilton also got off to a good start: right from the outset he led the field of 22 vehicles and managed to establish a lead of four seconds after just three laps. Consequently he was first to cross the finishing line after 56 laps.

After the second race of the still-young season Nico Rosberg leads the drivers’ overall ranking, with 43 points. Lewis Hamilton follows in second place, with 25 points. In der constructors ranking Mercedes-AMG is also in first place. With its 68 points the team is 25 points ahead of its second-placed rival.

In just less than a week Formula 1 will continue with the Great Prize of Bahrain on the Bahrain International Circuit on April 6.

31.Mar 2014

Start of the Endurance Championship at Nürburgring

31.Mar 2014

Start Free for New Season of the Pirelli World Challenge

From March 28 to 30 the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (USA) was staged within the framework of the Pirelli World Challenge. The SLS AMG GT3 from Black Swan Racing with their pilot Tim Pappas (USA) at the wheel participated in this race.

Following a cancellation of the first race on Saturday because of bad weather, the second 50-minute race was staged on Sunday. On the 2.890 km long city circuit “Streets of St. Petersburg” Black Swan Racing with the #54 started the race from position 20. However, since they were involved in an accident during the 35th lap, they had to end the race prematurely. On the basis of the number of laps they had completed, they were awarded 20th place.

The next station of the Pirelli World Challenge is held from April 11 to 13 in California on the “Streets of Long Beach”.

31.Mar 2014

Victories in the Australian GT Championship

In both races of the first round of the Australian GT Championship Richard Muscat secured victory for the AMG Customer Sports team Erebus Motorsport in Down Under. In his debut in the Australian GT Championship, Muscat put up a convincing performance right from the outset and left his competitors without any chance. Even a 15-minute safety car phase in the second race couldn’t stop the young Australian.

Richard Muscat: “The victory felt really super. We came here with great expectations and were able to fulfil them. The whole team did a great job.”

Round 2 of the Australian GT Championship will be staged on May 24 and 25 on the Philip Island Circuit.

17.Mar 2014

Place on the Podium for SLS AMG GT3

Last weekend the 12-hour race was staged at Mugello in Italy. A total of three SLS AMG GT3s started the race. The Customer Sports team Hofor Racing celebrated the greatest success in Tuscany by coming third in the overall standings. The Swiss team’s racing gullwing was piloted by Michael Kroll, Roland Eggimann, Kenneth Heyer and Christiaan Frankenhout. After starting from fourth place, soon after the start the team’s SLS AMG GT3 fought its way to the group of leaders and took the lead in the field of 37 vehicles in the race. However, due to tire damage they subsequently fell behind and crossed the finishing line in third place after 349 laps.

Peter Schmidt, Gustav Edelhoff, Johannes Siegler and Wiggo Dalmo took their places in the cockpit of the second SLS AMG GT3 in the field of German AMG Customer Sports team Car Collection Motorsport. The car with the #2 started from ninth place in the 12-hour endurance race. In the end they were able to catch up four places and came fifth. Lim Keong Liam, Gerald Tan and Nigel Farmer started for De Lorenzi Racing in Italy. The Italian racing team started from seventh place and came 22nd.

17.Mar 2014

Comments on the Race

Michael Kroll, team manager and driver Hofor Racing: “After the success in the 24 Hours of Barcelona in September last year, we are now very pleased about today’s third position. Without the tire failure we possibly could have achieved even better results. Thanks to everybody in the team for the great performance!”

Jochen Bitzer, head of AMG Customer Sports: “My congratulations to the team of Hofor Racing for a great third place in the 12-hour race of Mugello. In three endurance races of the year with the participation of Mercedes, at least one AMG customer team wins a podium position for the third time. This makes us feel confident in view of the rest of the season. Thanks to the teams of Car Collection and De Lorenzi Racing for their performance with the SLS AMG GT3 in Mugello.”

17.Mar 2014

Test GT Open and Super GT

Within the framework of the International GT Open the test days were staged from March 15 to 16 in Barcelona. AMG Customer Sports team Seyffarth Motorsport participated in these. Max Völker and Jan Seyffarth piloted the team’s gullwing. An SLS AMG GT3 also participated in a test race in Okayama (JAP) for the new Super GT season in Japan. The AMG Customer Sports team Gainer started with two gullwings and R’Qs Motorsport and LEON Racing each started with one.

The new International GT Open season begins from May 2 to 4 with the race at Nürburgring in Germany. The Super GT starts with the Okayama GT 300 race from April 5 to 6.

10.Feb 2014

Top in Down Under

Exciting battle for first place, thrills right through to the finish and in the end second, third and seventh place for the SLS AMG GT3 – this year’s 12-hour race at Bathurst in Australia really had everything to raise the pulse of motor sports fans. And there was even more: or where else in the world are positions lost because of a collision with a kangaroo?

But now the course of events: even before the race began HTP Motorsport had to struggle more dramatically than the AMG Customer Sports team would have liked to. After a training accident on Friday the crew managed to repair the vehicle overnight. But Maximilian Buhk, Thomas Jäger (both GER) and Harold Primat (CH) had to start the race from eleventh place. The trio mastered this task brilliantly. Though the car was involved in another accident during the race Buhk finally managed to take the lead in the last third of the race. However, an hour before the end of the race the SLS AMG GT3 lost first place when the front brake linings had to be changed during the last pit stop. As soon as he returned to the race track the last driver Buhk gave everything he’d got to recapture the lead. Until the cars crossed the finishing line a fascinating struggle for first place ensued. At the end of the race – after completing 296 laps – the trio was only 0.4138 seconds away from victory.

The previous year’s winner’s team Erebus Motorsport also caused a stir during the qualifying round, with a sensation for the history books: on the Mount Panorama course Maro Engel set a new track record for closed top racing cars! Consequently the gullwing with #1 started the race from the pole position. Engel and his team colleagues Bernd Schneider and Nico Bastian subsequently had the race under control for a long while as leader. However, following a technical problem the German trio lost valuable time and fell back. Nevertheless, they managed to secure a good seventh place by the time they reached the finishing line.

The sister car of the Erebus Motorsport team, driven by Will Davison, Jack LeBrocq and Greg Crick had to face up to a uniquely Australian challenge: a collision with a kangaroo on the trace track! The incident forced the racing gullwing – which had started from third position – to make an unscheduled pit stop. There the mechanics managed to provisionally repair the front of the vehicle, but the pilots subsequently had to struggle with aerodynamic problems. They managed to face up to this challenge with fine driving skills and ultimately brought their vehicle, which started with #63, over the finishing line in third place.

With the 24-hour race in Dubai and the 12-hour race at Bathurst this means that the AMG Customer Sports team has already won four places on the podium in the first two endurance races of 2014.

10.Feb 2014

Opinions After the Race

Thomas Jäger: “It was an unbelievable race for us. No one in the HTP Motorsport team would have expected that we could still win a podium position after the training accident. We would have liked to end the race winning the first position, but the Ferrari was just somewhat faster towards the end. Thanks to everybody in the team for the extremely strong performance during the entire weekend.”

Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “Another pleasing result after the promising start of the season in Dubai. Congratulations to the customer teams HTP Motorsport and Erebus Motorsport for their strong performance in Bathurst.”

Jochen Bitzer, head of AMG Customer Sports: “It was a truly thrilling race with commanding motorsports on Mount Panorama. Having two SLS AMG GT3 on the podium and each of the three participating SLS AMG GT3 in the top ten is, all in all, an excellent result. The victory was within reach but unfortunately, in the end, a gap of 0.4138 seconds separated us from the first position. I want to thank the AMG customer teams of HTP Motorsport and Erebus Motorsport and all drivers. Congratulations to the team of Maranello Motorsport for today’s victory in the race.”

13.Jan 2014

Two podium positions for the SLS AMG GT3 in the Dubai 24 Hours

• Second position for ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport• Third position for race gullwing of Black Falcon• Last year’s winner Bernd Schneider retired from the race

Dubai (UAE). AMG customer sports teams achieved promising results in the start of the 2014 motor sports season. Two SLS AMG GT3 ended the Dubai 24-hour race winning podium positions. Start number 38 of ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport started from position twelve on the grid. The driver trio Marc Basseng, René Münnich (both GER) and Rob Huff (GBR) came home second with a gap of three laps to the winner. The race gullwing of Black Falcon won the third position. Start number 2, piloted by Khaled Al Qubaisi (UAE), Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal (KSA), Hubert Haupt (GER) and Adam Christodoulou (GBR) started from the fourth position on the grid and ended the race with a gap of six laps.

The third SLS AMG GT3 to cross the finish line came from Car Collection Motorsport and ended the first endurance race of the season on position15.

Start number 11 started from position 38 and was piloted by Heinz Schmersal, Johannes Siegler, Klaus Koch, Johannes Kirchhoff and Gustav Edelhoff (all GER).

Last year’s winning car with start number 1 of the customer team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon had to end the race ahead of time. The driver quartet with Khaled Al Qubaisi (UAE), Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Andreas Simonsen (SWE) and Bernd Schneider (GER) took over the race from the second position on the grid and soon took hold of the first position. The SLS AMG GT3 dominated the 24-hour race for a long time. However, before midnight, electronics problems made a longer repair break in the box imperative. A convenient lead of 1.5 laps changed into a delay of 17 laps, which caused the SLS AMG GT3 to lose its position among the top 20. Further technical difficulties made another box stop necessary for the vehicle and prevented its continuation of the race.

SLS AMG GT3 of De Lorenzi Racing started the race from position 27. Piloted by Luc Braams, Duncan Huisman, Ivo Breukers (all NED) and Gianluca De Lorenzi (ITA), start number 19 fought their way up to the fourth overall position. Taking over the lead in the A6-Amateur class, the vehicle was involved in a collision with another vehicle. The subsequent repairs led to a delay and eventually to ending the race prior to time.

The Dubai 24 Hours is held for the ninth time this year and traditionally marks the beginning of the endurance race season. 77 cars started in the battle against the clock that is 24 hours long. 25 vehicles competed in the closely fought A6 class, in which all SLS AMG GT3 started as well.

Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “Today’s podium positions are a great result. I am pleased about the promising start of the 2014 motor sports season. The variety of customer teams that started in Dubai again proves the AMG Customer Sports Program philosophy. My congratulations to the customer teams ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport and Black Falcon for the podium positions in the first endurance race in 2014.”

Jochen Bitzer, head of AMG Customer Sports: “I am very satisfied with the results of this year’s Dubai 24 Hours. For a long time of the race, three SLS AMG GT3 were among the top five, in the end, two vehicles came home among the top three. As in the last two years, the race gullwing showed a strong performance in Dubai. Unfortunately, the SLS AMG GT3 did not manage to achieve the third victory in a row, but still, today’s results are a good start of the new season. I want to thank all customer teams and their drivers for their good work in Dubai.”

16.Dec 2013

Triumph at the Gulf 12-hour race in Abu Dhabi 2013

At the end of the season the AMG Customer Sports team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon put up an excellent performance and secured victory at the third Gulf 12-hour race Abu Dhabi. Khaled Al Qubaisi, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Bernd Schneider took their places in the cockpit of the SLS AMG GT3 with the #3. For Black Falcon this victory in Abu Dhabi is already the third success in an endurance race in 2013. This year the German team was not only able to win the 24-hour race in Dubai but also the 24-hour race on the Northern Loop at the Nürburgring. Local matador Al Qubaisi dedicated his first home victory to Sean Edwards, who was killed in an accident this year.

The 32 year-old Dutchman Bleekemolen started from the pole position in his first stint on the 5.554 km long Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. At the beginning of the race, which was divided into two parts each lasting 6 hours he was already able to consolidate his position in the field of 21 vehicles, and after 45 minutes and 20 laps he was able to secure a 15 second lead. The team put up a commanding performance to defend their lead until their competitors were involved in a crash after three and a half hours and the safety car had to be sent onto the track. During this phase the Black Falcon gullwing fell back into second place and was not able to regain first place until the race break. After a 120-minute race break the second 6-hour phase finally started, which was once again begun by Bleekemolen for Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon. Through a superb lightning start he was able to directly regain the lead with his SLS AMG GT3 and in the further course of the race to hand over the gullwing to his colleague in first place. Subsequently not only Bernd Schneider but also Khaled Al Qubaisi and Jeroen Bleekemolen left their competitors no chance, and masterfully defended their leading position right through to the end of the race. After completing 308 laps they were able to build up a lead of almost 100 seconds, and really deserved their victory in winning the Gulf 12-hour race in Abu Dhabi.

Klaas Hummel, Andreas Simonsen and Adam Christodolou took their places in cockpit of the team’s sister car with the #4. Because of problems in the first segment they had to make a pit stop with their SLS AMG GT3 at an early stage and fell back to the end of the ranking. After a repair phase they started again in the second part of the race. After 217 laps they managed to secure 17th place in the overall ranking.

25.Nov 2013

Pro-Am and Gentleman Title in the FIA GT Series / Final Race of the Series

Last weekend Sergei Afanasiev and Andreas Simonsen from the AMG Customer Sports team HTP Gravity Charouz won the championship in the Pro-Am class of the FIA GT. Both had 136 points and won with three points lead before the second placed competitor.

With an eight point lead (each altogether 110 points) Petr Charouz and Jan Stovicek won the title in the Gentleman Trophy. The victories in the overall team rankings – Gentleman and Pro-Am-class – complemented the extremely successful weekend for HTP Gravity Charouz. Since at the FIA GT championship points are awarded both in the qualifying round and during the race, the title of the series was already decided on the Saturday.

For the qualifying race two AMG Customer Sports teams fielded a total of four SLS AMG GT3s on the course: HTP Gravity Charouz started their gullwing #1 with Maximilian Buhk and Alon Day at the wheel. Sergei Afanasiev and Andreas Simonsen piloted the team’s number two. The sister car with the #3 was driven by Petr Charouz and Jarek Janis. In the end Afanasiev and Simonsen were able to come sixth in their vehicle, and hence celebrate the championship in the Pro-Am class early. The team’s number one crossed the finishing line in twelfth place. Charouz and Janis had to abandon the race early after the eighth lap. But because the title had already been decided before the qualifying round, this didn’t prevent their triumph. The fourth SLS AMG GT3 in the field was piloted by Benji Hetherington and Oliver Webb (#62) for Fortec Motorsport.

The actual race on Sunday was marred by many accidents, particularly in the first part of the race. This meant that both Afanasiev / Simonsen and Hetherington / Webb had to abandon the race early after the first lap because of an accident. Shortly afterwards Charouz / Janis also dropped out of the race. For Buhk and Day in the cockpit at the beginning of the race everything went according to plan: during many parts of the race the two motor sports pros were able to lead the strong field of 27 vehicles, ¬¬until they finally fell back into third place shortly before the end of the race and hence ended the course. Due to a 10-second time penalty they were subsequently downgraded to fourth place.

25.Nov 2013

Triumph at the FUJI Sprint Cup

Within the course of the FUJI Sprint Cup at the end of the season on 23 and 24 November four SLS AMG GT3s started on the FUJI Speedway in Japan. The AMG Customer Sports team GAINER secured the first overall ranking of the motor sports event in the two races.

Bjorn Wirdheim started the first race in the SLS AMG GT3 with the #11 and Katsuyuki Hiranaka started for the Japanese team in the second race. Thanks to their second places in both traces, they won a total of 30 points and left their competitors with no chance of an overall victory. Masayuki Ueda (first race) and Tetsuya Tanaka (second race) piloted the sister car with the #10. On Saturday they managed to come eleventh, and on Sunday they came sixth. For the AMG Customer Sports team LEON RACING Haruki Kurosawa started the first race (fifth place) and Tsubasa Kurosawa took the wheel in the second race (tenth place) on the 4.563 km long circuit. Masaki Jyonai (first race) and Hisashi Wada (second race) for GREENTEC also participated in the race on the Fuji Speedway. After 22 laps Jyonai came ninth in the first race. On Sunday his team colleague Wada was in 14th place when he saw the checkered flag.

18.Nov 2013

A lot of bad luck for Erebus Motorsport at Macau GT Cup

Last weekend the Australian AMG Customer Sports team Erebus Motorsport began the Macau GT Cup race with a total of two SLS AMG GT3s.

Renger van der Zande (NLD) started from position four on the Guia Circuit in the gullwing with the #63. The team’s sister car with the #36 was piloted by Maro Engel (GER). The German already put up a very strong performance in the qualifying round and set a new lap record (02:18.651 min.) with his SLS AMG GT3 on the 6.115 km long circuit. Consequently he then started the race from the pole position. The race was marred by numerous accidents, with a total of two safety car phases, but Engel defended his good starting position and confidently led the field of 31 vehicles. A lot of bad luck shortly before the end of the race finally unluckily prevented a victory for Erebus Motorsport: due to a splinter – which presumably had been on the race track since the first accident - Engel’s gullwing suffered tire damage four rounds before the end of the race, making it impossible to continue driving. His team colleague, Renger van der Zande, also had no luck this weekend in Macau: while competing for the lead on the penultimate lap the Dutchman was involved in an accident through no fault of his own, and the car damage also forced him to retire from the race prematurely.

11.Nov 2013

Championship Title in the Super Taikyu

For the final of the Super Taikyu the AMG Customer Sports team PETRONAS Syntium sent a total of two SLS AMG GT3s onto the 4.673 km long Autopolis circuit in Japan on November 9 and 10, 2013. After two hours the team’s number one was able to secure the sixth consecutive title in the Super Taikyu.

The gullwing with the #1 was piloted by Dominic Ang and Melvin Moh, and started from 4th position on the track. The sister car #28 with Tatsuya Kataoka and Jono Lester in the cockpit started from 3rd position. Because of the extremely difficult outdoor conditions the start of the race has to be delayed by an hour and shortened to two hours instead of three.

Subsequently at the beginning of the race and also repeatedly afterwards there were safety car phases which made a “normal” race impossible. 30 minutes before the end of the race the weather finally improved and the field of 42 vehicles were once again able to compete for the last points of the season at full speed. The fifth place for the #1 ultimately enabled the team to win the sixth consecutive championship title. After the race Kataoka and Lester were delighted to be able to secure a place on the podium (third place) and come second in the overall standings (2.5 points behind their sister car).

11.Nov 2013

Great Finale in Spain

Last weekend in Barcelona, Spain both the finale of the international GT Open and also the last race of the Spanish GT Championship was staged on the Circuit de Catalunya. Three AMG Customer Sports teams in their SLS AMG GT3s participated in the race.

Within the framework of the international GT Open Miguel Toril and Jan Seyffarth started for Seyffarth Motorsport. The gullwing of the Lechner Racing Team was piloted by Mario Plachutta and Walter Lechner. Sports and You sent Jose Pedro Fontes and Miguel Barbosa onto the 4.655 km long circuit in the Spanish GT Championship.

In the first race the two motor sports pros Barbosa and Fontes had to settle for 14th place. In the second race they were four places better, crossing the finishing line tenth. In the rankings of the international GT Open they came 24th in both the first and second races. Jan Seyffarth and Miguel Toril started from 28th position in the first race of the international GT Open. However, they had to retire early from the race after 27 laps. In the second race of the weekend they started from 15th position. In the race lasting approximately 50 minutes Seyffarth and Toril put up a good performance and finished ninth, which was the best result for a gullwing this weekend in Spain. Mario Plachutta and Walter Lechner from the Lechner Racing Team came 23rd in the first race. In the second race the Austrians crossed the finishing line in 26th place.

04.Nov 2013

Victory in the Super GT in Japan

In the last race of the current Super GT season the AMG Customer Sports team GAINER won on the Twin Ring Motegi in Japan. The team‘s gullwings were piloted by Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Bjorn Wirdheim. In the qualifying round the two experienced motor sports pros displayed very good form and came second in their SLS AMG GT3. In the next race they subsequently put up a perfect performance, and crossed the finishing line in first place. This was already the second time Hiranaka and Wirdheim had secured victory this season in their gullwing in the Super GT. The team’s sister car was piloted by Tetsuya Tanaka and Masayuki Ueda. They came twelfth on the 4.8 km long circuit.

Haruki and Tsubasa Kurosawa also started for the AMG Customer Sports team LEON RACING on the Twin Ring Motegi. After 50 laps they came sixth. OKINAWA-IMP RACING with Shift piloted by Hironori Takeuchi and Takeshi Tsuchiya also managed to secure another place in the top ten. They came seventh. The fifth SLS AMG GT3 started for GREENTEC in the field of 23 vehicles participating in the final race of the season. At the end Hisashi Wada and Masaki Jonai came 16th.

In the overall driver standings the duo Hiranaka / Wirdheim for GAINER at the end of the race only just narrowly missed securing victory in the championship: with 80 points they came second, only five points behind the winner. It was also conceivably close for GAINER in the overall team standings: with 100 points from a total of eight races they also secured second place. This meant with Hironori Takeuchi and Takeshi Tsuchiya for OKINAWA-IMP RACING with Shift in fifth place and Haruki Kurosawa for LEON RACING in sixth place three additional drivers were able to secure places in the top ten of the overall driver standings. In the overall team standings, too, OKINAWA-IMP RACING with Shift and LEON RACING also confirmed these results by coming fifth and sixth respectively.

28.Oct 2013

Season finale in the VLN

Last weekend the final race of the current VLN Endurance Championship was held at the Nürburgring. For the finale two AMG Customer Sports teams fielded their gullwings in the race on the Northern Loop.

The #33 from Car Collection was piloted by Peter Schmidt, Johannes Siegler and Christian Bracke, and started the race from position 34 in the 38th DMV Münsterland Cup. In the four-hour endurance race the drivers from Hesse set off in hot pursuit of the leaders, catching up 15 places, and were 19th when they saw the checkered flag. They came eighth in their class, the SP9.

ROWE RACING started the race in the Eifel with two SLS AMG GT3s. Michael Zehe, Marko Hartung and Jan Seyffarth took their places in the gullwing with the #6. The sister car was piloted by Nico Bastian and double starter Seyffarth. After getting off to a good start the #6 partly managed to lead the field of 149 vehicles taking part in the race, until a minor accident during the twelfth lap forced it out of the race. Just a short time later Nico Bastian, driving the #7, also had to drop out of the race early.

28.Oct 2013

A place on the podium at the French GT

The final race of the season in the French GT Championship was held at the Paul Ricard Circuit on October 25-27. The AMG Customer Sports team HTP Motorsport fielded an SLS AMG GT3 in both races of the weekend. Luca Stolz and Alon Day took their places in the cockpit of the gullwing with the #62. Day had already displayed convincing form in the free training with the best time of the day on the Friday. Consequently the two motor sports pros also captured pole position for both races in the qualifying rounds on Saturday. Finally the first race of the weekend started punctually at 16.10 on Saturday. In the exciting 60-minute race Stolz and Day only narrowly missed winning, and came second. On Sunday they repeated this performance in the second race, and once again finished second.

14.Oct 2013

Mika Häkkinen wins in China

Together with his 17-year team colleague Matthew Solomon, double Formula 1 World Champion Mika Häkkinen celebrated an historic first victory in China for the AMG Customer Sports team Erebus Motorsport last weekend. This success in the first race of the AMG Customer Sports program in the GT Asia at the same time means the first victory for the Mercedes-AMG brand ambassador Häkkinen since his DTM retirement.

Häkkinen and Solomon started in the 50-minute race on the Zhuhai International Circuit in China from qualifying position six. On the 4.319 km long circuit the starting driver Häkkinen was able to directly catch up four places right at the start of the race, and following his stint at the wheel, he was in second place when he handed over the car to his team colleague Solomon. The young Chinese driver put up a faultless performance and overtook the leading car shortly before the end of the race to secure the first victory for an SLS AMG GT3 in China.

Because of their victory in the first race Häkkinen / Solomon started the second race of the weekend with a 15-second handicap from position two. At the end they came fourth. The team’s sister car was piloted by Lance David Arnold. Starting from the pole position, he put up a commanding performance for the most of the race against a field of twelve vehicles, until he had to park the gullwing just before the finish because the gasoline pressure was too low.

14.Oct 2013

Two places in the podium in the season’s finale of the DMV TCC

From October 11-12 the season’s finale of the Touring Car Challenge – or for short DMV TCC – was staged on the Hockenheimring. Bruno Stucky started for the AMG Customer Sports team ANTeam Motorsport, as well as Maximilian Völker for Seyffarth Motorsport. This weekend Bruno Stucky in particular had a reason to celebrate. In both races he was able to finish third overall. This was a very special highlight for the Swiss driver, because it was the first time he had taken a place on the winners’ podium. But Maximilian Völker also had good reason to be very satisfied with his performance in Baden-Württemberg. He put up a convincing performance to secure class victories in both races.

With a total of 106.40 points Bruno Stucky managed to come fifth in the overall championship ranking in the final reckoning. This meant the pilot from ANTeam Motorsport managed to improve his ranking by three places compared to 2012.

14.Oct 2013

Strong showing for SLS AMG GT3 in the VLN

Last weekend a total of four SLS AMG GT3s started the penultimate race of the long-distance championship Nürburgring VLN on the Northern Loop.

The AMG Customer Sports team Car Collection Motorsport sent Peter Schmidt, Klaus Koch and Johannes Siegler to the Eifel in a gullwing. Starting the race from position 44, they made an impressive comeback and in the end they were able to catch up 31 places. They came thirteenth in the overall ranking, and eighth in their class, the SP9.

The ROWE RACING motoracing team from Bubenheim started with a total of two SLS AMG GT3s on the legendary circuit. The vehicle starting with the #6 was piloted by Michael Zehe, Marko Hartung and Christian Hohenadel. Jan Seyffarth, Nico Bastian and Thomas Jäger took the wheel in the sister car (#7). In its home race, the ROWE DMV 250-mile race, ROWE RACING struggled with tire damage, which amongst other things forced them to make an unscheduled pit stop. Because of this the pilots of the car with the #6 had to make do with tenth place (seventh in their class, the SP9) at the end of the four-hour endurance race. The gullwing with the #7 had to retire early from the race.

The fourth SLS AMG GT3 started for the AMG Customer Sports team Black Falcon in the “green hell” and secured the best result in this racing weekend. In the gullwing with the #9 Andreas Simonsen and Marc Basseng put up a very strong performance to finish fourth and narrowly miss a place on the podium. They also came fourth in their class, the SP9.

The season finale of the VLN will be held on October 26 when the 38th DMV Münsterland Cup is staged.

07.Oct 2013

Twice in Top 5 at the Seventh Round of the Super GT in Japan

Two AMG Customer Sports teams provided top results in the penultimate round of the Super GT season in Japan, when OKINAWA-IMP RACING with Shift came third and GAINER came fourth.

Hironi Takeuchi and Takeshi Tsuchiya started out in tenth place for OKINAWA-IMP RACING with Shift on the Autopolis race circuit in Japan. In an exciting race they made a spectacular comeback and managed to finish the race in third place in their gullwing with the #52. The GAINER team’s SLS AMG GT3 was piloted by Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Bjorn Wirdheim. Starting out from sixth place they managed to catch up two places and crossed the finishing line fourth. Tetsuya Tanaka and Masayuki Ueda took the wheel in the team’s sister car. After 57 laps they came 20th. Hisashi Wada and Masaki Jyonai also participated in the Autopolis race for the AMG Customer Sports team GREENTEC. They came 14th on the 4.673 km long circuit. The fifth gullwing from LEON RACING began the race from 14th position. At the end they came 18th.

Before the finale of the season GAINER and OKINAWA-IMP RACING with Shift are in second and third places overall in the team rankings, each with 77 points. This means that both teams still have realistic chances of winning the team championship title this season. In the overall driver rankings Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Bjorn Wirdheim can still have justified hopes of winning the championship title this season. They are currently in third place, trailing by only ten points behind the leading duo.

The Super GT will continue on November 2-3, 2013 when the teams start out on the Twin Ring Motegi in Japan in the last race of the season, and the titles will be awarded to the winners.

07.Oct 2013

Round 7 of the International GT Open in Monza

In the penultimate racing event of the season two AMG Customer Sports teams, Seyffarth Motorsport and Sports & You began the two races in Italy within the framework of the International GT Open.

The gullwing with the #61 was piloted by Jan Seyffarth and the Spanish driver Miguel Toril for Seyffarth Motorsport. In the first race the two motor sports pros came 16th. In the second race they improved their position by one place, and came 15th. Sports & You sent its SLS AMG GT3 onto the 5.793 km long race circuit with Antonio Coimbra and Luis Silva in the cockpit. After the qualifying round they started the first race from position 28 and after more than 70 minutes they had caught up five places to come 23rd. They repeated this result when they came 23rd in the second race, after starting from position 25.

The season’s finale in the International GT Open will be held on the Circuit de Barcelona in Spain on November 9-10.

07.Oct 2013

Finale of the British GT

The last round of the current British GT season was staged on October 5-6 in Donington Park. The two English drivers, Jason Minshaw und Benji Hetherington, piloted the vehicle for the AMG Customer Sports team Fortec Motorsport. Starting out from position 14, they caught up one place and crossed the finishing line thirteenth. The second SLS AMG GT3 in the field of 32 participants went chasing points on behalf of the Preci-Spark team on the 4.023 km long circuit. However, after 22 laps they had to retire before the race was over.

07.Oct 2013

Second Place in the 6-Hour Race at Brno

Last weekend the six-hour endurance race was held in Brno / Czech Republic within the framework of the FIA CEZ. One of the competitors was the Swiss AMG Customer Sports team G-Private Racing. The team gullwing was piloted by Philip and Manuel Zumstein. After 172 laps they were in second place when they saw the “Checkered Flag”. The team’s sister car, driven by Mathias Schmitter, Jörg Peham and Paul Pfefferkorn, had to abandon the race before the end.

30.Sept 2013

Furious Finale at ADAC GT Masters

They have made it exciting again: for Maximilian Buhk (GER) and Maximilian Götz (GER) from the AMG Customer Sports team Polarweiss Racing, winning the title in the ADAC GT Masters Finale at the Hockenheimring is once again within their grasp. The duo left the leaders of the table behind them by taking second place in Saturday’s race, and shortened the gap to only six points before the last race of the season on Sunday.

Götz and Buhk also showed strong nerves when they started the final day in their SLS AMG GT3: they chalked up the best time in the warm-up! Then came the decisive 60-minute final race: after a good start Maximilian Buhk was in second place and hence on course to win the title. However, the justified hopes of defending the title were shattered in the 14th round: following a technical defect, Buhk had to park his racing gullwing on the edge of the track, leaving the duo without any points. For Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz the ADAC GT Masters Season 2013 left them in joint third place in the driver rankings.

In the sister car of the Polarweiss Racing team Thomas Jäger (GER) and Luca Ludwig (GER) won points in both races: on Saturday the duo came ninth and on Sunday they came twelfth in the field of 24 super sports cars which had started the race. This meant that the Polarweiss Racing team also came third in the season’s ratings for 2013.

30.Sept 2013

Strong Performance in the VLN Doesn’t Pay Off

Places 11 and 27 and a breakdown – that was the performance from the point of view of the three SLS AMG GT3s which took part in the seventh race of the VLN, the 45th ADAC Barbarossa Prize. However, for a long time it looked like the racing gullwings would secure a much better result on the Nürburgring Northern Loop.

The two SLS AMG GT3s from the AMG Customer team ROWE RACING were amongst the dominant vehicles during large parts of the four-hour race involving 164 vehicles. In the ROWE RACING gullwing with the #7 Lance David Arnold (GER) and Jan Seyffarth (GER) looked set to come second and win a place on the podium until the race entered the final quarter. However, a bookable offence spelt disaster for the duo: after the race management disallowed one lap, Arnold und Seyffarth were only able to salvage eleventh place at the end of the race.

In the team’s sister car with the #6 Michael Zehe (GER), Marko Hartung (GER) and double starter Jan Seyffarth also put up a strong performance. However, in the last lap of the race the SLS AMG GT3 – which at the time was in sixth place – suffered an accident and was hence unable to finish the race under its own power. This meant no points in the rankings for the second ROWE RACING SLS AMG GT3.

For the third SLS AMG GT3 in the field, driving on behalf of the team Car Collection Motorsport, the race ended with the car in 27th overall place and with ninth place in the class SP9 for Peter Schmidt (GER), Johannes Kirchhoff (GER) and Klaus Koch (GER).

30.Sept 2013

Place on the Podium in the DMV TCC in Monza

In the penultimate round of the International DMV TCC in Monza the AMG Customer Sports team Land Motorsport had plenty of reason to celebrate. In both races they secured the best results of the three Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s which had started. In the second of the two 30-minute sprint races Christian Land (GER) won a place on the winners’ podium by coming second overall. This meant that Land also came second in the class rankings (class 8, group GT3). The day before, Land’s team colleague Stefan Eilentropp (GER) chalked up his best result in the DMV TCC by coming fifth overall (third in the class rankings).

In Monza Erwin Stückle (GER) and Maximilian Völkner (GER) started for the AMG Customer team Seyffarth Motorsport. Stückle, who drove in the second race, passed the finishing line in sixth place (4th place in the class rankings). Völkner, who was unable to participate in the qualifying round of the first race because of a technical defect, had to start from the back of the field of 38 vehicles. With a remarkable performance he fought his way forward until he managed to come 18th overall (8th place in his class).

In the third racing gullwing Bruno Stucky (SUI) from ANTeam Motorsport had to struggle with tire problems throughout the entire race weekend. The Swiss driver had to finish both races prematurely, but he was rated with twelfth and 13th place in the list of results, which was equivalent to sixth place in his class.

The finale of the DMV TCC will be held on October 11-12, 2013 on the Hockenheimring.

30.Sept 2013

Class Victory in the FIA GT Series

In the penultimate round of this year’s FIA GT series on the Spanish race track at Navarra, Sergei Afanasiev and Andreas Simonsen from the AMG Customer team HTP Gravity Charouz captured the crowd’s attention once again. With two perfect stints in the main race the Swedish-Russian duo secured victory in the PAM class and came fourth overall. In the qualifying race the two racing pilots already came fourth overall and second in their class. Afanasiev / Simonsen continue to lead the overall rankings of the PAM class and will hence be favorites when they head to the finale at Baku, Azerbaijan – which will be held on November 22-24, 2013.

The two sister cars from HTP Gravity Charouz were piloted by Alon Day (ISR) and Stef Dusseldorp (NL), respectively by Hubert Haupt (GER) and Martin Matzke (CZE). In the main race the duo Day / Dusseldorp came seventh overall (6th place in their class). Haupt / Matzke came 13th overall and sixth in the class rankings (PAM).

30.Sept 2013

Superstars World GT Sprint in Imola

Two GT sprint races were held in the penultimate round of the Superstars World series at the Italian race track Imola last weekend. The only Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in the field of eleven participating vehicles was the racing gullwing of the AMG Customer Sports team Sports & You, with Antonio Coimbra (POR) at the wheel. The Portuguese driver had a constantly good weekend, and was able to secure sixth place in both races. The series finishes on October 13, 2013 at the Italian race track Vallelunga.

23.Sept 2013

Title Win in the Blancpain Endurance Series

The final of the Blancpain Endurance Series 2013 had just about everything: for the first time in four years there was once again a 1000 km race on the Nürburgring – and at the end a great winner: Maximilian Buhk from the AMG Customer Sports team HTP Motorsport. The 20-year-old won the title in the Pro Cup driver ranking through a victory in the final race, which he secured together with his team colleagues Bernd Schneider and Maximilian Götz.

The title win came after a high-class six-hour marathon, which the German trio began from the pole position. The SLS AMG GT3 with the #84 immediately impressed with fast lap times and on each lap was able to forge ahead of the other 50 vehicles in the field of participants. However, after 5 hours of dominant racing the last pit stop once again provided an unwanted drama: HTP Motorsport’s racing gullwing spent more time in the pits than planned because of a change of the brake pads, which meant that the final driver Maximilian Buhk was “only” able to return to the track in second place.

However, following an exciting duel Buhk was able to snatch back the lead. After 178 laps he finally crossed the finishing line with a lead of 18.298 seconds. In the championship ranking of the Pro Cup this even meant a triple success for HTP Motorsport: apart from Maximilian Buhk winning the title with 81 points, Maximilian Götz and Bernd Schneider both had 71 points, which gave them joint second place.

The two SLS AMG GT3s used by the Black Falcon team also put up noteworthy performances in the final race: the car starting with the #19, piloted by Hubert Haupt, Luca Ludwig and Andreas Simonsen crossed the finishing line in eighth place (putting them in seventh place in the Pro Cup). The sister car with the #18, driven by Klaas Hummel, Steve Jans and Adam Christodoulou finished 13th overall in the six-hour race and secured third place in the Pro Am class. The car starting the race with the #22 for Preci-Spark, with twin brothers David and Godfrey Jones and son Morgan Jones (all GBR) at the wheel, began the Pro-Am Cup race from 39th place. The British AMG Customer team had to abandon the race after just half the distance because of an accident.

23.Sept 2013

Opinions after the race

Maximilian Buhk, HTP Motorsport: “I am very happy to win the championship in the Blancpain Endurance Series after my championship title last year in the FIA GT3 European Championship. Anyway, 2013 is a good year for me: At first, the overall victory in the 24-hour race of Spa-Francorchamps with my team colleagues Maximilian Götz and Bernd Schneider, then the DTM test last week with Mercedes-Benz and now, the title. Things could hardly be better. Thanks to the entire HTP Motorsport team!”

Norbert Brückner, team manager HTP Motorsport: “We are doing very well currently. My congratulations to Maximilian Buhk for his championship title, which he really deserves. He and his team colleagues Maximilian Götz and Bernd Schneider drove an excellent race. Our SLS AMG GT3 again showed a flawless performance. I want to thank AMG Customer Sports for their great support.”

23.Sept 2013

Early Success in Super Taikyu Championship

Title win also celebrated in Japan: In Suzuka the PETRONAS Syntium team was able to secure the championship ahead of schedule in the Super Taikyu Series. One round before the end of the season the AMG Customer Team has an unassailable lead. The only remaining unanswered question is which of the team’s two racing gullwings will be right at the top at the end of the championship.

And as impressive as the season has been up to now, the PETRONAS Syntium team was also just as dominant in the three races in Suzuka. Their vehicles won all three races. On Saturday Nobuteru Taniguchi was victorious in the SLS AMG GT3 with the #1. In the sister car with the #28 Jono Lester crossed the finishing line in fourth place. On Sunday Tatsuya Kataoka and Fariqe Hairuman in the vehicle with the #28 won the second and third races. Melvin Moh and Dominc Ang in the vehicle with the #1 came fourth and second on Sunday.

The successes in the races at Suzuka mean that the PETRONAS Syntium team has already won six successive championship titles. This year the seventh and final round of the Super Taikyu Series will be held from November 9-10, 2013 on the Japanese Autopolis race track.

23.Sept 2013

Good Performance in the Asian Le Mans Series

At the weekend the second round of the Asian Le Mans Series was held on the Japanese Fuji Speedway. There were also three SLS AMG GT3s, who put up an exciting performance in the field of 20 vehicles at the three-hour race. Above all there was a strong performance by the racing gullwing from the AMG Customer team GAINER: Björn Wirdheim and Katsuyuki Hiranaka came fourth overall, and just narrowly missed a place on the podium. In the SGT class the duo came second. The AMG Customer team OKINAWA-IMP RACING with SHIFT and the drivers Hironori Takeuchi and Takeshi Tsuchiya came sixth (tenth overall) in the SGT class. LEON Racing with its drivers Haruki and Tsubasa Kurosawa rounded off the result by coming eighth (16th overall). The next station of the Asian Le Mans Series is the three-hour race of Zhuhai on October 13.

Stuttgart - On 17th September 2013, Mercedes AMG rewarded AMG customer sports juniors Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz for their outstanding achievements this season with a DTM test drive. At the Lausitzring, Buhk and Götz got their first taste of a DTM Mercedes AMG C-Class racing car from the world's most popular international touring car series.

Buhk took his place in the cockpit at the start of the test session, whilst Götz took the wheel of the DTM car later in the afternoon. In total, the two SLS AMG customer sports juniors posted 120 laps of the 3.442km DTM track (Buhk: 60 laps / Götz: 60 laps).

Buhk and Götz earned this opportunity to test by virtue of their accomplishments in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. Buhk and Götz were very successful last year: Buhk became European Champion in an SLS AMG GT3 FIA GT3, whilst Götz won the ADAC GT Masters championship in the gullwing. The pair won the 24-Hour race at Spa- Francorchamps along with DTM record-breaking champion Bernd Schneider this season at the end of July. This success also marked the 100th victory of the gullwing racing car since the start of AMG's customer sports programme in 2010.

Bringing on young drivers in motor racing has a long tradition at Mercedes-Benz. Four of the six Mercedes-Benz drivers currently contesting the DTM previously competed in Formula 3, powered by Mercedes engines. With an average age of 23 years, Mercedes-Benz has the youngest squad of drivers of all the three manufacturers competing in this year's DTM. Of the 22 drivers currently lining up on the Formula 1 starting grid, twelve utilised Mercedes-Benz engines during their time in Formula 3. The successful introduction of AMG's customer sports programme has provided additional opportunities for the systematic bringing on of talent through Mercedes AMG.

Maximilian Buhk:“It was an absolutely fabulous day and I had a lot of fun testing the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Class. I learned a lot and would like to thank everyone. It really was a super cool experience.”

Maximilian Götz: “Of course it was mega awesome to get the chance to test the DTM AMG Mercedes C-Class. It's a dream come true for me and I really enjoyed stepping on the gas and finding my limit. Of course, driving the DTM car felt very new and unfamiliar compared to the SLS AMG GT3 but I felt very much at ease and had a lot of fun. Many thanks again to Mercedes-AMG for giving me this opportunity. I would love to be able to jump straight back in the car and post a few more laps!”

Uli Fritz, Head of AMG Customer Sports:“We are pleased that we were able to give Maximilian Buhk und Maximilian Götz the opportunity today to test a DTM Mercedes AMG C-Class. This test shows just what great prospects AMG customer sports can open up to young and successful junior drivers.”

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:“Maximilian Götz and Maximilian Buhk are two of the most talented drivers in sports car racing and thoroughly deserve this opportunity to test after their achievements in Mercedes-AMG's customer sport programme. Both demonstrated that they feel very much at home in the gullwing during testing at the Lausitzring. They posted fast lap times in our DTM car and gave good feedback. For many decades, Mercedes-Benz has been committed to promoting young drivers in motor racing, and many of these aspiring talents have subsequently moved up from Formula 3 into Formula 1 and into the DTM during their careers. The success of the two Maximilians shows that Mercedes AMG's support of juniors can also serve as a springboard for the careers of drivers at customer sport level. I am certain that the two will realise their potential in the future and have the talent to achieve many more successes.”

16.Sept 2013

Triumphant Anniversary for ADAC GT Masters

A place on the podium and still a chance of winning the title – that’s the upshot from Maximilian Götz and Maximilian Buhk from AMG Customer Sports team Polarweiss Racing following the anniversary weekend of the ADAC GT Masters on the Slovakia Ring. In the Sunday competition, the 100th race in the “League of the Super Sportscars”, which was founded in 2007 , Götz/Buhk got off to a great start from fifth position. Subsequently, during the entire one-hour race the duo put up an exciting fight amongst the group of leaders, and at the end they were rewarded with third place. The day before Götz and Buhk had narrowly missed a place on the podium by coming fourth, but this still secured them valuable points for the championship. Before the final on the Hockenheimring (September 27-29, 2013), where two races will also be held, the reigning champion Maximilian Götz, together with his team colleague Maximilian Buhk, is now in joint second place and has every chance of defending the title.

Polarweiss Racing’s sister car, piloted by Sergey Afanasiev and Andreas Simonsen, were also able to gather valuable team points on the Slovakia Ring. In the rainy Saturday race the Russian- Swedish duo came seventh, and on Sunday they came eleventh. That leaves them in fourth place in the closely contested Polarweiss Racing evaluation before the final, meaning they still have a chance of winning the team title again.

16.Sept 2013

Freak weather at the VLN

Following a victory by the AMG Customer Sports team ROWE RACING in the last VLN race, the gullwings of the Bubenheim team also put up a strong performance in the 36th RCM DMV Grenzlandrennen race, but this time they didn’t manage to make it into the top ten: not only the SLS AMG GT3 from Nico Bastian and Jan Seyffarth but also the racing gullwing from Michael Zehe, Marko Hartung and Mark Bullitt had to end the race premature after accidents when rain suddenly made the track wet. Before being forced to retire, Nico Bastian drove a furious race and quickly moved to the front of the field. Before his accident he was in the lead and dominated the race, increasing his lead to 2.5 minutes after just four rounds on the Nürburgring Northern Loop.

The third SLS AMG GT3 which entered the field for AMG Customer team Car Collection Motorsport was able to do better in the turbulent race, which was ultimately terminated prematurely with the red flag because of a huge cloudbreak: In the final ranking Peter Schmidt, Henri Moser and David Horn finished a good 19th overall in the field of 162 vehicles that started.

16.Sept 2013

FIA CEZ a guest in Brno (CZ)

Piotr Krawczyk from AMG Customer Sports team Premium Motorsport Poland was also one of the top pilots in the guest race of the FIA CEZ series in Brno in the Czech Republic. At the autumn prize of the Masaryk Racing Days the overall leading driver began the sprint race in the category >2000 ccm and came fifth. His countryman Rudolf Machánek (TopCar Machánek) came eleventh in his racing gullwing.

The two SLS AMG GT3s from Seyffarth Motorsport piloted by the German drivers Erwin Stückle and Michael Yenci could win the P9 class (Stückle) and took the second place (Yenci) respectively. In the two-hour endurance race it was Yenci who secured the class victory and Stückl who came second. The next class victory for Seyffarth Motorsport came along with the sprint race on Sunday, which Maximilian Völker could win (11th place overall). The Swiss Philipp and Manuel Zumstein also took part in the race in Brno. The duo from AMG Customer Sports team G-Private Racing started the two-hour race on Sunday, but had to retire half an hour before the end of the race, and consequently did not collect any points.

One race before the final of the FIA CEZ series on October 6 in Navak (SRB) Piotr Krawczyk is still on the way to winning the title.

09.Sept 2013

Hofor Racing wins in Barcelona

Hofor Racing secured victory in the 24-hour race in Barcelona with a ten round lead.

In the cockpit of the gullwing, starting for Hofor Racing, took Michael Kroll, Roland Eggimann, Kenneth Heyer and Chrstiaan Frankenhout place.

Starting the race from position six, the team chose rain tires for a track which started to dry out, which meant they had to make another pit stop after just a few rounds.

Subsequently they showed a convincing performance through consistently good lap times, caught up and established themselves in the group of leaders. In the exciting race they were then able to ultimately take the lead just after midnight and hold on to it right to the finish. After 605 rounds it was the last driver and team owner Michael Kroll, who was first to cross the finishing line on the 4.655 km long circuit.

This success is already the fifth victory in 2013 for the SLS AMG GT3 in different long-distance classics. The AMG Customer Sports teams not only won the 24-hour race in Dubai, the 12-hour race in Bathurst but also the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps and were also victorious on the Nürburgring Northern Loop.

Another racing gullwing competed for De Lorenzi Racing in Barcelona. Gianluca de Lorenzi, Ivo Breukers and Bert de Heus started the 24-hour endurance race from position two. However, the team lost touch with the leaders because of two repair phases, and finished the race in 16th place. In their A6 class they came second.

The third gullwing in the field from the AMG Customer Sports team Car Collection Motorsport, with Peter Schmidt, Alexander Mattschul, Heinz Schmersal, Gustav Edelhoff and Johannes Kirchhoff at the wheel had to retire from the race early because of an accident shortly before midnight. They had started from position four.

09.Sept 2013

Four times in the top ten at the Super GT in Japan

With the AMG Customer Sports team LEON RACING, GAINER and OKINAWA-IMP RACING with Shift, three different teams with a total of four racing gullwings were able to secure a place in the top ten in the sixth race of the Super GT in Japan.

Haruki and Tsubasa Kurosawa for LEON RACING went hunting for points on the Fuji Speedway, and came fourth. Starting from 18th position they caught up an impressive 14 places, and in the end just narrowly missed a place on the podium. GAINER sent two SLS AMG GT3s onto the 4.563 km long circuit. Tetsuya Tanaka und Masayuki Ueda took their places in the gullwing with the #10. After 61 laps they came sixth. The sister car with Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Bjorn Wirdheim in the cockpit came seventh. Hironi Takeuchi and Takeshi Tsuchiya took to the track for OKINAWA-IMP RACING with Shift, starting from position 16. In the end they caught up six places, and came tenth. The fifth gullwing in the field, from GREENTEC, crossed the finishing line in seventeenth place.

The Super GT will continue from October 5-6, 2013 on the Autopolis in Japan.

09.Sept 2013

AMG with a strong showing of SLS AMG GT3s at the International GT Open in Belgium

A total of four SLS AMG GT3s started the sixth round of the International GT Open for two Customer Sports teams. From September 7-8 two races were held on the legendary race track of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium in the framework of the series.

Maximilian Völker and Jan Seyffarth started in the gullwing with the #61 for Seyffarth Motorsport in the Belgian Ardennes. Staring from position 23 in the first race of the weekend, at the end they were in thirteenth place when they saw the “Checkered Flag”. In the second race they came 16th. In the teams sister car Miguel Toril and Renger van der Zande took the wheel. These two motor sports pros also provided the best result of a SLS AMG GT3 at the weekend, coming tenth. In the second race they came 13th.

Sports and You also started two gullwings in the race on the 7.004 km long circuit. In the vehicle with the #83 Jose Pedro Fontes and Joao Silva took the wheel. In the first race they came 16th, and in the second they came 18th. The number 84 of the team, with Antonio Coimbra and Luis Silva in the cockpit, had to prematurely retire from the first race after four laps. In the second race they came 21th.

The seventh round of the International GT Open will be held in Monza / Italy from October 5-6.

09.Sept 2013

DMV TCC with a stop in France

In the seventh race of the current DMV TCC season a total of 26 vehicles took to the track at the Circuit de Dijon-Prenois in France. On the 3.801 km long circuit two SLS AMG GT3s took part in two races. Josef Klüber competed in the two half-hour races for the AMG Customer Sports team Schütz Motorsport. Staring from position four in the first race, the German put up a very good performance and in the end came second. He was only exactly 5,885 seconds behind the winner and very narrowly missed victory. Klüber started the second race of the weekend from position six. After 17 laps he crossed the finishing line in fifth place.

Bruno Stucky went hunting for points for the AMG Customer Sports team ANTeam Motorsport. In the first race the Swiss driver came fifth in his SLS AMG GT3. He then came fourth in the second race.

The next race of the DMV TCC will be held from September 27- 28 in Monza / Italy.

09.Sept 2013

Round 6 of the British GT in Zandvoort

The sixth round of the British GT was staged in Zandvoort / Netherlands from September 6-8. Jason Minshaw and Benji Hetherington started for the AMG Customer Sports team Fortec Motorsport. They came 15th in the first race on Saturday. In the second race of the weekend on Sunday they crossed the finishing line in twelfth place.

The final of the British GT season will be held in just less than four weeks. From October 5-6 the teams will be fighting for the title of the series in a race at Donington Park in Great Britain.

04.Sept 2013

World premiere of the CLA 45 at the IAA in Frankfurt

Affalterbach – World premiere at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt/Main: The CLA 45 AMG Racing Series concept car provides a preview of a further customer sports racing car from Mercedes-AMG, alongside the world success of the SLS AMG GT3 gullwing racing car. Authentic motor racing genes, competitive technology and a spectacular design – the near-series four-door CLA 45 AMG Racing Series high-performance Coupé is intended for the avidly followed race series with turbocharged 2.0-litre cars.

The standard version of the CLA 45 AMG, which has been available since June 2013, has the perfect genes for a competitive customer sports racing car: As the world's most powerful four-cylinder engine in series production, the turbocharged AMG 2.0-litre unit generates 265 kW (360 hp) and maximum torque of 450 newton metres. As on the standard model, power on the racing version is transferred by the AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission. Given sufficient demand, the near-series CLA 45 AMG Racing Series could enter various international race series such as national brand-specific trophies or the German VLN series (Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring – Organiser's association for Nürburgring long-distance championships).

The technical specifications will vary according to the race rules and race series. The engine output and power transmission are variable, with permanent all-wheel drive or purely front-wheel drive possible as in the standard version.

Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH:“With the CLA 45 AMG Racing Series we are providing a preview of another exciting customer sports racing car from Mercedes-AMG. The great success of our involvement with the SLS AMG GT3, which is now used by customer teams on five continents, means that we are very confident: in the popular four-cylinder segment too, we want to offer interested customer teams a competitive, near-series racing car with a high level of safety.”

Uli Fritz, Head of AMG Customer Sport:“The large demand for a customer sports racing car for the extremely popular race series with turbocharged 2.0-litre cars encouraged us to present a showcar CLA 45 AMG Racing Series. Our involvement in customer sports with the SLS AMG GT3, which was able to win the “grand slam” of classic GT3 long-distance races, continues to spawn success in its fourth year.”

Spectacular racing car designTypical racing car features made completely from carbon-fibre (CFRP) make the extravagant design of the standard CLA 45 AMG even more spectacular: they include a new front and rear apron, flared wings and side sill panels. In addition, treadless racing tyres ensure an impressive width. Thanks to carbon-fibre rear wings and large cooling apertures for engine and brake cooling, the CLA 45 AMG Racing Series makes an imposing impression even when stationary. For use on the racetrack, the already good aerodynamic attributes of the four-door high-performance coupé are further optimised by the newly developed carbon-fibre components: the front apron with a front splitter ensures additional downforce, as do the rear diffuser with three fins and the adjustable rear aerofoil.

The air intake in the side sill panels ahead of the rear wheels ensures effective cooling of the rear brakes. Wheel arch vents in the wings, which are flared by over six centimetres on each side, increase the downforce at the front and rear axles. In true racing style, the bonnet and boot lid are fitted with quick-release catches. In short: the motor racing DNA of AMG, the performance brand within Mercedes-Benz, is immediately recognisable in the CLA 45 AMG Racing Series.

High level of safety in the interiorA functional racing car atmosphere predominates in the interior: the roll-over cage is made of high-strength steel. An exemplary level of safety is ensured by the carbon-fibre P 1300 GT racing bucket seat from Recaro, prepared for the HANS system (Head and Neck Support), and the integrated fire extinguishing system. In the cockpit the AMG instrument cluster keeps the driver informed about the road speed, engine speed and the operating temperatures of the engine and transmission. The racing steering wheel with shift paddles for gearshifts allows perfect vehicle control. The centre console houses additional controls such as the central switch for the onboard electronics and switches for the hazard warning system and fire extinguishing system.

Special motorsports suspension allows an individual, track-specific setupThe special racing suspension has a wider track at the front and rear, and allows numerous adjustments for an individual racetrack setup. The suspension level, spring rate and damper characteristics are adjustable, as are the track and camber at the front and rear axles. The AMG high-performance braking system with ventilated discs all-round is equipped with an anti-lock system. The AMG light-alloy wheels in a cross-spoke design are shod with racing tyres in size 265-660-18 from technical development partner Dunlop, and to reduce unsprung masses the AMG light-alloy wheels feature a particularly lightweight forged construction. The electro-mechanical AMG speed-sensitive sports steering assists with agile handling. Fast wheel-changes during pit-stops are made possible by the pneumatic lifting system integrated into the underbody.

Like the SLS AMG GT3 before it, the CLA 45 AMG Racing Series was developed by Mercedes-AMG in close cooperation with HWA AG. HWA is responsible for the development and race appearances of the AMG-Mercedes DTM cars on behalf of and in close collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Motorsports. Professional racing drivers including the AMG brand ambassador Bernd Schneider share the cockpit during the course of the test and development programme. The HWA team, which originated within AMG, is one of the most successful teams in international motorsports: Ten driver's titles in the DTM and ITC, as well as two overall victories in the FIA GT Championship, are compelling evidence. No other brand has won as many DTM races and DTM titles as cars from AMG-Mercedes.

SLS AMG GT3 successful worldwideNow a permanent fixture in the GT3 segment, the SLS AMG GT3 has been extremely successful since its racetrack debut in autumn 2010. 67 examples have been sold to date. With various titles in international championships such as the ADAC GT Masters, the FIA GT3 European Championship and the FIA GT1 World Championship, as well as over 100 victories in race series all over the world, the racing version of the gullwing-door model has impressively demonstrated its extraordinary performance. In particular, long-distance successes in this year's Bathurst 12-hour race and the 24-hour races in Dubai, at the Nürburgring and in Spa-Francorchamps have spectacularly confirmed its competitiveness. The SLS AMG GT3 2013 thus claimed the “grand slam” of classic GT3 long-distance races, with four victories in succession.

Homologated according to the FIA GT3 race rules, this customer sports racing car is active in more than 22 race series and on five continents of the world.

02.Sept 2013

PETRONAS Syntium team stays on course towin title in the Super Taikyu Series

Despite rain and slippery conditions on the Okayama International Circuit the PETRONAS Syntium team secured victory and third place in the fifth round of the Japanese Super Taikyu Series.

Tatsuya Kataoka and Fariqe Hairuman started the race from position two in the SLS AMG GT3 with the number #28. In the race, which was interrupted by numerous safety car phases, the duo used a clever pit strategy to take the lead and hold onto it until the end of the three-hour race.

In the sister car with the number #1 Nobuteru Taniguchi and Melvin Moh put up a convincing performance, and rounded off the team performance by coming third. This means that the PETRONAS Syntium team extended its double lead in the Super Taikyu Series two races before the end of the season.

The next round will be held on September 21-22 on the Suzuka track.

02.Sept 2013

Bad luck in the 12-hour race at Sepang

After their performances in 2011 and 2012 the PETRONAS Syntium team are also well on the way towards winning the prestigious 12-hour race at Sepang, the Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race (MMER). In the qualifying round both the team’s SLS AMG GT3s confidently drove the best times. In the race, which started at midnight local time, the two crews (#1 with Bernd Schneider, Jono Lester, Dominic Ang and #28 with Thomas Jäger, Luca Ludwig, and Lucas Wolf) were able to get amongst the top 3 vehicles during the first four hours of the race. Then there was bad luck for both gullwings: a technical defect meant the end for the SLS AMG GT3 with the number #28. Practically at the same time the sister car had to make a pit stop for a long repair phase. Back on the track the crew put up a courageous struggle to catch up, which took the trio back into the top ten. However, two hours before the checkered flag consequential damage finally put the second SLS AMG GT3 out of the race.

02.Sept 2013

Second place for Sports & You

The fourth race of the Portuguese GT Championship was held in Portimão (POR) from August 31-September 1. The AMG Customer Sports team Sports & You secured second place on the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.

José Pedro Fontes, Miguel Barbosa and Alvaro Fontes Platz took their places in the cockpit of the SLS AMG GT3 with the number #7. The three motor sports pros already put up an excellent performance in the qualifying round and consequently deservedly started the two-hour race from the pole position. After 63 laps they finally crossed the finishing line in second place.

The next race of the Portuguese GT Championship will be held on September 14-15 in Braga / Portugal.

02.Sept 2013

Convincing Victory at the VLN

Last weekend two SLS AMG GT3s chased points for the AMG Customer Sports team Polarweiss Racing in two races on the Lausitzring / Germany.

The gullwing with the number #10 was piloted by Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz. The two overall leaders of the driver ratings started the first race from position fifteen. After a super race to catch up, in the end they finished in seventh place with their SLS AMG GT3. The two motor sports pros started the second race of the weekend from thirteenth position. In the extremely exciting race, which amongst other things was affected by several safety car phases, they fought their way to the group of leaders and after 41 laps narrowly missed a place on the podium by finishing fourth. With both of them having 120 points, Götz and Buhk are now currently fourth in the ADAC GT Masters driver ratings for 2013.

Sergei Afanasiev and Andreas Simonsen took their places in the team’s sister car. Starting the first race from thirteenth position, they ended up finishing in 16th place. In the second race on the 4.534 km long track they started from 20th position. Like their team colleagues, Afanasiev / Simonsen put up an impressive race from behind, and caught up eight places to finish twelfth.

The seventh round of the ADAC GT Masters will be held in just less than two weeks. On September 13-15 the teams will be chasing points on the Slovakia Ring.

26.Aug 2013

Convincing Victory at the VLN

Jan Seyffarth and Nico Bastian from the AMG Customer Sports team ROWE RACING and Lance David Arnold from the AMG Driver Pool won convincingly at the Opel 6-hour ADAC Ruhr Cup Race on the Nürburgring Northern Loop.

Starting from second position in the six-hour endurance race, right from the very beginning the starting driver Jan Seyffarth was able to secure his position at the front of the field and defend his second place. After several kilometers at the head of the field, he finally took the lead and handed over the gullwing to Lance David Arnold after about two hours. Despite the onset of rain Arnold was able to keep in first place and even extend his lead on the rest of the field. Finally, after six hours, the last driver Nico Bastian was able to secure the convincing victory.

Michael Zehe, Marko Hartung and double starter Nico Bastian took their places in the cockpit of the team’s sister car. They also showed a strong performance by finishing eighth, and secured ROWE RACING the second top placing of the weekend.

With Stuart Leonard and Paul Wilson at the wheel for Fortec Motorsport and Peter Schmidt, Henri Moser, Pierre Kaffer and David Horn for Car Collection, an additional two SLS AMG GT3s joined the race on the Nürburgring Northern Loop at the VLN this weekend. Fortec Motorsport had to abandon the race prematurely because of an accident. The Car Collection team was also unable to complete the race because they had to retire due to a technical defect.

The VLN will continue in just less than three weeks on September 14, with the 36th RCM DMV Grenzland race.

26.Aug 2013

Twice in the Top Ten at the FIA CEZ

Piotr Krawczyk from the AMG Customer Sports team Premium Motorsport Poland finished fifth and ninth. He displayed a good performance in both races of the FIA CEZ on the Slovakia Ring, and narrowly missed better results in the close race.

Rudolf Machanek piloted the second gullwing in the field. In the first race he came 19th. In the second race he came 12th.

26.Aug 2013

Sixth Round of the DMV TCC

From August 23-24 the sixth round of the current DMV TCC season was held on the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

In the two races the AMG Customer Sports team ANTeam Motorsport sent Bruno and Edwin Stucky onto the 4.326 km long track. Bruno Stucky was then also the driver who managed to achieve the best results of the weekend in both races: starting from qualifying position seven, he finished in sixth place after 19 laps in his gullwing. He repeated this good result in the second race by also crossing the finishing line in sixth place. His brother Edwin Stucky came thirteenth in the first race. In the second race he was able to catch up three places and finish in the top ten (tenth place) in his SLS AMG GT3.

In the first race Stefan Eilentropp took the wheel for Land Motorsport in the 30-minute race. Starting from 14th place, he was able to catch up a total of three places, and was in eleventh place when he saw the checkered flag. Christian Land started the second race for the AMG Customer Sports team from position two. After two rounds he had to withdraw from the race prematurely.

The next race of the DMV TCC will be held on September 6-7 in Dijon / France.

19.Aug 2013

Another victory at the FIA GT

With four seconds lead Andreas Simonsen (SWE) and Sergei Afanasiev (RUS) secured first place (overall and class PRO-AM) in the main race of the fourth round of the current FIA GT season in Slovakia.

Starting the race from place six, the starting driver Simonsen was already able to fight his way to the front of the field of 19 vehicles piloted by competitive drivers shortly after the race began, and also build up a comfortable lead. At the half-way stage of the race he handed over the SLS AMG GT3 with the #2 to his young Russian colleague. Afanasiev subsequently masterfully defended the lead and won the race exactly 4.148 seconds ahead of the nearest rival. This success is already the second consecutive win in the FIA GT for the AMG Customer Sports team HTP Gravity Charouz. The team came sixth in the first race of the weekend.

Jan Stovicek and Petr Charouz (both CZE) drove the team’s sister car. They came third in their class, the GTR. They secured 14th place in the overall ratings. In the first race they came 18th. Maximilian Buhk (GER) and Alon Day (ISR), the winners of the last race, had to retire during the first lap after an accident. In the first race Buhk / Day came tenth.

Another two gullwings started for the AMG Customer Sports team SMS Seyffarth Motorsport at the Slovakia Ring. In the cockpit of the vehicle with the #28 the former Formula One pilot Karun Chandhok (IND) and Jan Seyffarth (GER) took the wheel. After 27 laps they came sixth in the PRO class. They came tenth in the overall classification. This weekend the former DTM racing driver Hubert Haupt and Yenci Michael (both GER) made their debut in the FIA GT. They crossed the finishing line in thirteenth place. They came second in their GTR class. In the first race both of the team’s gullwings had to retire from the race before they reached the finish.

The next race of the FIA GT series will be held on September 28-29, 2013 on the Circuito de Navarra in Spain.

19.Aug 2013

Round five of the Super GT in Japan

Altogether five SLS AMG GT3s started the race in the fifth round of the current Super GT season on the Suzuka Circuit.

Hironi Takeuchi, Takeshi Tsuchiya and Naoya Gamou from the AMG Customer Sports team OKINAWA-IMP RACING with Shift only narrowly failed to secure victory in Japan. They came second in their gullwing, a lap behind the leaders. Just one place behind, LEON RACING came third: the car starting with the #62 was piloted by Haruki and Tsubasa Kurosawa, together with Akihiko Nakaya. GAINER started two SLS AMG GT3s on the 5.807 km long circuit. Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Bjorn Wirdheim secured the best result for the team, coming sixth after 159 laps. The sister car with Tetsuya Tanaka, Masayuki Ueda and Masataka Kawaguchi in the cockpit came thirteenth. Starting from sixth place in the race, Hisashi Wada and Masaki Jyonai crossed the finishing line in twelfth place for the AMG Customer Sports team GREENTEC.

The Super GT will continue from September 7-8, 2013 on the Fuji Speedway in Japan.

12.Aug 2013

Victory in the Super Taikyu

Dominic Ang, Nobuteru Taniguchi and Melvin Moh were the winners of the fourth round of the Super Taikyu 2013. From August 10-11 the midway race of the series was held on the FUJI Speed Way in Japan.

The trio in the gullwing with the #1 started from qualifying place three in the seven-hour endurance race. After 40 minutes and a safety car phase they managed to secure second place. A this point the sister car of the team (#28) with Tatsuya Kataoka, Jono Lester and Fariqe Hairuman at the wheel were in third place. The lead subsequently repeatedly changed hands until the SLS AMG GT3 with the #28 and Hairuman in the cockpit lost twenty seconds on the leaders when the car spun. In the subsequent pit stop the team was then also given a stop-and-go penalty, which in turn also costs them valuable seconds. Following an accident and a 20-minute repair phase they were no longer able to play a decisive role in the outcome of the race.

Three hours before the end of the race it was Nobuteru Taniguchi who was able to increase the lead of the SLS AMG GT3 with the #1 by up to one minute. In his stint at the wheel Dominic Ang briefly lost the lead but was able to quickly regain it, and handed over the car to the final driver Melvin Moh with more than a minute lead. Following an exciting final phase when his competitors were able to close the gap from Moh, at the end of the race they euphorically celebrated coming first.

From August 31 to September 1 the Super Taikyu will continue on the OKAYAMA International Circuit.

12.Aug 2013

Two places on the podium for Krawczyk at FIA CEZ

Last weekend in the Czech Republic Piotr Krawczyk from the AMG Customer Sports team Premium Motorsport Poland fought for points in two races. In the first race on the 4.148 km long Autodrom Most he fought his way to finish third overall. He put up a strong performance in the second race and once again managed to come third.

Rudolf Machanek started the field in the second SLS AMG GT3. In the first race he came 14th, a lap behind the leader. In the second race he came tenth and was once again a lap behind the leader.

In the two-hour long distance race, which was also held in the Autodrome Most this weekend, Rudolf Machanek and Stefan Rosina entered the race in a gullwing. However, they had to retire before the end of the race.

12.Aug 2013

Polarweiss Racing continues winning streak at ADAC GT Masters

Following their impressive victory in round four of the ADAC GT Masters at the Nürburgring, Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz from the AMG Customer Sports team Polarweiss Racing also confirmed their excellent form last weekend at Spielberg in Austria by coming second in the second race of the weekend.

Having started the race from qualifying place four, the starting driver Maximilian Buhk had already caught up to second place after the first lap. Subsequently the gullwing with the #10 repeatedly fought a thrilling duel for the lead, but after 39 laps narrowly missed victory, and crossed the finishing line in second place.

In the first race on the 4.318 km long race track the SLS AMG GT 3 piloted by the two fast drivers started from fourth place. Following several accidents amongst the field of cars and a safety car phase in the second lap, at the end of the race the two Germans managed to secure fifth place. Thanks to their good performance this weekend in Austria, both Buhk and Götz have each secured 102 points and have taken the lead in the drivers’ ratings of the ADAC GT Masters 2013.

The sister car of the team was piloted by Sergei Afanasiev and Andreas Simonsen. Starting from eleventh place in the first race, the two motor sports pros were able to overtake one rival and finish the race tenth. Afanasiev and Simonsen also started the second race from eleventh place. They came thirteenth in this race.

In just less than three weeks the ADAC GT Masters continues when the sixth round will be held from August 30 to September 1 on the Lausitzring.

12.Aug 2013

Round five of the British GT

Last weekend there were dry conditions when the fifth round of the British GT was staged on the Brands Hatch Circuit in England. An SLS AMG GT3 started the two hour race for the AMG Customer Sports team FORTEC Motorsport.

Benji Hetherington and Jason Minshaw took their places in the gullwing with the #14. Starting from 15th place, they were able to catch up a total of ten places and finish fifth in the race.

The British GT continues from September 6-8 on the Circuit Park Zandvoort in the Netherlands.

05.Aug 2013

After Spa Buhk and Götz also win the ADAC GT Masters at the Nürburgring

When things go smoothly, the winning streak continues: just a week after their triumph at the 24-hour race of Spa-Francorchamps – side by side with Bernd Schneider –Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz once again stood on the top steps of the winners’ podium. In the first race of the ADAC GT Masters weekend the rapid duo let nothing stop them: after 41 exciting laps on the Nürburgring Grand Prix course they won the race with their SLS AMG GT3 for the AMG Customer Sports team Polarweiss Racing. “I hope that we can continue our winning streak”, enthused Buhk following his first ADAC GT Masters victory. The gullwing’s success was rounded off by the third place of the sister car with the Russian-Swedish duo Sergei Afanasiev and Andreas Simonsen at the wheel.

The two places on the winners’ podium followed an exciting race. Starting from fifth place, the FIA GT3 European Champion Maximilian Buhk had no problem catching up two places. Then during the middle of the race unconcentrated driving by the two leading cars opened the way to the front of the 25 vehicle field. ADAC GT Masters defending champion Maximilian Götz subsequently skillfully held onto the lead till the finishing line and hence seal the first joint ADAC GT Masters victory for Buhk and Götz. Sergei Afanasiev and Andreas Simonsen also displayed clever tactics to take third place in their best race of the season.

The second race of the weekend showed that in motor racing there is a very fine line between joy and dismay: in the very first lap the SLS AMG GT3 of the previous day’s winners was involved in an accident and had to retire from the race. Things went better for the sister car of the Polarweiss Racing team: Sergei Afanasiev and Andreas Simonsen started in 17th place and fought their way forward to finish tenth.

Next weekend the “Super Sportscar League” already continues: on the Red Bull Ring the ADAC GT Masters (August 9-11, 2013) begins the second half of the season.

29.Jul 2013

Commanding victory in the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps

Bernd Schneider, Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz are the winners of the legendary 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps in 2013. The three experienced motorsport pros started for the AMG Customer Sports team HTP Motorsport in the Belgian Ardennes. The SLS AMG GT3 with the #84 started the long-distance race from position three. Right from the outset the starting driver Maximilian Götz already put the great performance of the team to the test and place the gullwing in the top five. Subsequently Schneider / Buhk / Götz fought exciting duels for the head of the field, until they finally took the lead after a safety car phase and convincingly defended their lead right through to the end of the race. With a time of 2:21:861 minutes, Bernd Schneider also drove the fastest lap of the race. This impressive triumph at the same time means the 100th victory for the SLS AMG GT3 since the beginning of the customer sports program in 2010.

With places eight and 24 the second AMG Customer Sports team Black Falcon also displayed a strong performance in the field of 65 vehicles. The gullwing with the #18 was piloted by Klaas Hummel, Steve Jans, Thomas Jäger and Adam Christodoulou. After 551 laps they were in eighth place when they saw the checkered flag. In their class, the Pro-Am Cup, they came in fourth place. The team’s sister car with Andrii Lebed, Francesco Castellacci, Sergei Afanasiev and Andreas Simonsen at the wheel came 24th overall and eleventh in their class.

Another SLS AMG GT3 started for FORTEC Motorsport in Belgium. Oliver Webb, Alex Brundle and Karl Wendlinger steered the gullwing with #62 across the finishing line in 31st place after 449 laps. Several incidents which occurred during the race prevented a better result.

Jan Seyffarth, Klaus Graf and Lance David Arnold started the Pro Cup for the German AMG Customer Sports team ROWE RACING in the 24-hour race. However, because of an accident they had to end the race prematurely when they were in a promising third place.

The English team Preci-Spark with the brothers David and Godfrey Jones and the sons Gareth and Philip Jones at the wheel fought for victory in der Gentleman’s Trophy. They had to end the race after 15 hours following an accident.

29.Jul 2013

Round four of the Super GT in Japan

Last weekend the fourth round of the current Super GT season was staged at the Sportsland SUGO race track.

The car from OKINAWA-IMP RACING with the #52 with Shift and Hironi Takeuchi and Takeshi Tsuchiya at the wheel finished the race in 4th place. The SLS AMG GT3 of the AMG Customer Sports team LEON RACING was piloted by Haruki and Tsubasa Kurosawa. After 76 laps it came 7th. GAINER started two SLS AMG GT3s on the 3.737 km long track. Tetsuya Tanaka and Masayuki Ueda took their places in the gullwing with the #10. In the end they came tenth. The team’s sister car was piloted by Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Bjorn Wirdheim. They started the race from position nine and in the end crossed the finishing line in thirteenth place. Hisashi Wada and Masaki Jyonai also started the race driving for GREENTEC. They came 19th, three laps behind the winner.

The next round of the Super GT will be held on August 17 and 18 on the Suzuki Circuit in Japan.

29.Jul 2013

Strong array of SLS AMG GT3s at the DMV TCC

A total of five SLS AMG GT3s started out at the Hockenheimring on August 26 and 27 in a race which was the midway point in the series. The AMG Customer Sports team Schütz Motorsport once again fielded Josef Klüber in the two races. Starting the first race in sixth position, he narrowly missed standing on the podium because he only came fourth. After the qualifying round the German started the second race from position seven and crossed the finishing line in 6th place.

Bruno and Edwin Stucky went hunting for points on behalf of the ANTeam Motorsport in Baden-Württemberg. Bruno Stucky started from position seven in the first race on the 4.574 km long track. After 18 rounds he secured 5th place. He finished the second race in 17th place. His brother Edwin came 17th in the first race and 14th in the second.

Christian Land celebrated the greatest victory on behalf of the AMG Customer Sports team Land Motorsport in the fifth race of the DMV TCC season. In the qualifying round for the second race of the weekend things already really went according to plan for the speedy German, so that he was able to start the race from position 3. Subsequently he put up a very strong performance in the half-hour race, and drove his gullwing across the finishing line in second place both overall and in his own class (class eight). In the first race Land Motorsport sent Stefan Eilentrop into the fray at the Hockenheimring. He finished the race 14th overall, and in his own class he came fourth.

Maximilian Völker started the race for Seyffarth Motorsport in the fifth gullwing. The guest start of the team from Querfurt ended with the young German in 15th place in the first race. He already had to stop the second race after just four laps.

The next round of the international DMV TCC is scheduled for August 23 and 24 on the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

22.Jul 2013

Victory on debut in the Superstars World GT Sprint Series

In the Superstars World GT Sprint Series last weekend the AMG Customer Sports team Sports & You celebrated taking first place in the first start in the second race.

On July 21 the fifth race of the series was staged in Portimão / Portugal. On the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve the AMG Customer Sports team Sports & You started out with fast drivers in the cockpit of the SLS AMG GT3s. Antonio Coimbra and Luís Silva piloted the gullwing with # 47. In the team’s sister car (#49) Jose Fontes and Miguel Barbosa manned the cockpit. Starting from position six in the first race of the weekend, Coimbra and Silva managed to advance two positions and cross the finishing line in fourth place. Fontes / Barbosa started from the promising qualifying position one. They had to be prematurely end the race after a collision. In the second race things went considerably better for the two experienced motor sports pros. Starting from position two, they finished 1st after 31 laps. Their team colleagues finished in 3rd place to round off the successful race for the Portuguese team.

The next round of the Superstars World GT Sprint Series will be held on August 31-September 1 in Donington / England.

22.Jul 2013

Twin victory in the Super Taikyu Series

The AMG Customer Sports team PETRONAS Syntium was delighted with the outcome of the last race in the Super Taikyu Series. They celebrated a very successful race by finishing 1st and 2nd.

For the third round of the series the Japanese team started with two SLS AMG GT3 on the Twin Ring Motegi in Japan. Nobuteru Taniguchi, Dominic Ang and Melvin Moh took the wheel in the gullwing with the #1. Tatsuya Kataoka, Fariqe Hairuman and Jono Lester piloted the second vehicle with #28.

In dry conditions the two gullwings started from the second row in the five-hour race. Shortly after the start of the race Kataoka / Hairuman / Lester were able to take the lead in the strong field of eight vehicles. Shortly before the finish they masterfully defended their leading position. In the last round they had technical problems and finished 2nd. The team’s sister car (#1) benefited from their colleagues’ difficulties and crossed the finishing line in 1st place after 149 laps.

The Taikyu Series continues with the seven-hour race, which is scheduled for August 10-11 on the Fuji Speedway.

22.Jul 2013

Fourth race of the VLN

On July 20 the fourth race of the long-distance championship was staged at the Nürburgring (VLN) on the North Loop. In the course of the 53rd ADAC Reinoldus long-distance race an SLS AMG GT3 started for CC Car Collection – before the race ROWE RACING withdrew its nomination. The gullwing with the #33 piloted by Peter Schmidt, Henri Moser and Christopher Zöchling started the four-hour endurance race from position 8. The drivers from Hesse suffered tire damage when they were in 4th place and were given a drive-through penalty. In the end they finished 12th.

On August 24 the VLN continues with the Opel 6-hour ADAC Ruhr Cup Race.

15.Jul 2013

Triumph in Australia

Last weekend Jack Le Brocq (AUS) from Erebus Motorsport once again showed his best form and secured first place in both races.

Right from the outset the Australian left his competitors without a chance and started the race from position one in the Sydney Motorsport Park. He didn’t just win the subsequent races following the fastest time in qualifying, but in both race one and two he managed to set up new lap records on the 4.5 kilometer course. In the series Le Brocq is in second place overall in the driver’s standings.

The racing season continues with the Australian GT Championship on August 2-4 on the Queensland Raceway.

15.Jul 2013

Pirelli World Challenge hosted in Canada

Bad luck in the tenth race of the Pirelli World Challenge on July 14. The AMG Customer Sports team Black Swan Racing sent an SLS AMG GT3 out onto the demanding track through the streets of Toronto. Tim Pappas (USA) sat in the cockpit of the gullwing with the #54. Following a collision in the qualifying round the American was unable to start in the subsequent race.

On August 4 races eleven and twelve will be held on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Ohio / USA.

15.Jul 2013

Class Victory at the International GT Open in England

The AMG Customer Sports team Seyffarth Motorsport continued its success in the International GT Open and won the second race of the weekend in the GTS class.

On the legendary circuit in Silverstone / England Miguel Toril (ESP) and Renger van der Zande (NL) started for the team in the gullwing with #61. In the first race the two motor sports pros had to struggle with several problems, which meant they had to withdraw at the half-way stage. But then in the second race they produced a very good performance and secured a victory in their class. They achieved an excellent fourth place in the overall classification.

The team’s sister car experienced a mixed racing weekend in England. The gullwing piloted by Maximilian Völker and Kenneth Heyer (both GER), withdrew early from the first race. In the second race they finished 22nd overall (17th in their class).

Another SLS AMG GT3 went competing for points for the AMG Customer Sports team Lechner Racing Team in Silverstone. With Mario Plachutta and Walter Lechner (both AUT) at the wheel the #70 started the first race from position 21. The Austrians could be very satisfied with their performance, since they caught up eight places in all and finished 13th overall (eighth place in the GTS class). In the second race they came 16th in the overall classification and 13th in their class.

The next race of the International GT Open will be held on September 7-8 in Spa-Franchorchamps.

08.Jul 2013

Four Times Top-Ten at the Pirelli World Challenge

With great performances Tim Pappas (USA) and Oliver Bryant (GB) each achieved top results in their SLS AMG GT3 in rounds eight and nine of the Pirelli World Challenge.

Tim Pappas, who started for AMG Customer Sports team Black Swan Racing in Lime Rock Park / Connecticut, repeated his strong performances from the previous races and secured a strong seventh overall place in the first competition of the day. The American started the second race on the track from position seven. After 49 laps he was flagged over the line in sixth place.

With Oliver Bryant at the wheel the AMG Customer Sports team Fusion World Wide was also able to celebrate top ten places in both competitions on American Independence Day. The SLS AMG GT3 with the #33 started from position nine in the first race. He only managed to advance one place on the 2.41 km long track after 49 laps and crossed the finishing line in eighth place. He performed better in the second race and managed to finish fifth. He had also started this race from position nine.

The next PWC races are scheduled for July 12, on the track Streets of Toronto, in Canada.

08.Jul 2013

Victory at the FIA GT in Zandvoort

Last weekend the AMG Customer Sports team HTP Motorsport secured a victory at the FIA GT in Zandvoort / Netherlands with Maximilian Buhk (GER) and Alon Day (ISR) at the wheel. Starting from position two in the third event of the current season, right from the start the two motor sports pros displayed an impressive performance and won their first victory in the series. The first place in the overall classification at the same time also signals a victory for Buhk and Day in the professional class.

Andreas Simonsen (SWE) and Sergei Afanasiev (RUS) took their places in the cockpit of the sister car. The Pro-Am class winners of the last race of the series struggled with tyre damage during the race and managed to secure 12th overall place. With a time of 01:40.381, they drove the fastest round and were able to finish in sixth place in their class. With Jan Stovicek and Petr Charouz (both CZE) at the wheel, the gullwing with #3 crossed the finishing line in thirteenth place.

Last weekend another SLS AMG GT3 started for the AMG Customer Sports team SMS Seyffarth Motorsport on the 4.320 km-long track. The former Formula 1 pilot, Karun Chandhok (IND), and Jan Seyffarth (GER) took their places in the cockpit of the vehicle with the #4. Starting the race from position eight, they were able to advance four places in all during the 35 laps and at the end narrowly missed a place in the podium – fourth place. They also came fourth in their professional class.

The FIA GT Series continues on the Slovakia Ring from August 17-18, 2013.

08.Jul 2013

Good Racing Weekend for Premium Motorsport Poland on the Salzburgring

Piotr Krawczyk and the AMG Customer Sports team from Premium Motorsport Poland also drove a really convincing race during their guest appearance at the Austrian Salzburgring. The fast Pole started both of the two half-hour sprint races of the FIA CEZ series from the first starting position. However, in the Saturday race tyre damage shortly before the end of the race robbed him of a seemingly certain victory in the field of 13 started cars. Nevertheless, he still managed to cross the finishing line in fifth place after the unplanned pit stop. In contrast in the Sunday race Krawczyk was able to pilot his Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 to an uncontested victory from start to finish.

At the Salzburgring, Premium Motorsport Poland sent another newcomer, Mateusz Lisowski, onto the track in the SLS AMG GT3. The young Pole was given the chance to try out the one-hour endurance race with only three vehicles participating, and he passed the test with flying colours. After 38 rounds he crossed the finishing line as the winner of the race.

08.Jul 2013

Second Class Place in the STT

In the fourth round of the Special Touring Car Trophy competitors in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben fought for the prize of the City of Magdeburg. Josef Klüber from AMG Customer Sports team Schütz Motorsport joined the race in the only SLS AMG GT3 on the 27-car starting grid. On the demanding circuit in the Magdeburger Börde, Klüber experienced a mixed weekend: after having to retire after only eleven rounds in the Saturday race without any points, he was able to fight his way to the front on Sunday. At the end of the half-hour distance he was conceivable close to a place on the podium, finishing in fourth place. This put him in second place in the class ranking.

The next round of the STT is scheduled for July 19-21 at the Race Festival of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL).

02.Jul 2013

Round 3 of the Blancpain Endurance Series

Last weekend was the midway point in the Blancpain Endurance Series, which is held all around the world. At the Circuit Paul Ricard in France, a total of five SLS AMG GT3s were entered for four AMG Customer Sports teams.

At exactly 3:00 PM on Sunday, the German team Black Falcon sent two gullwings out onto the legendary track near Le Castellet. After a great qualifying round, the SLS AMG GT3 with the #18 and Adam Christodoulou (UK), Klaas Hummel (NL) and Steve Jans (LUX) in the cockpit started out in the first row (position two) of the Blancpain Endurance Series for the first time. The team’s sister car with Andrii Lebed (UKR), Oliver Morley and Duncan Tappy (both GB) started the three-hour endurance race from position 33. The gullwing with #19 managed to advance ten places in all and crossed the finish line 23rd in the overall classification. In their class (the PAM) they enjoyed a good seventh-place finish. The team’s second car (#18) withdrew from the race after 66 laps.

The AMG Customer Sports team HTP Motorsport provided another strong result this weekend. Starting the race from position three, Maximilian Buhk, Luca Ludwig (both GER) and Alon Day (ISR) delivered a strong performance and finished fifth overall.

David, Godfrey and Morgan Jones (all GB) were the pilots for the Preci-Spark team. The race in Le Castellet was already the third one of the current season for the English team. Starting the race out from qualifying position 53, they fought their way 17 places forward in all, ultimately finishing 36th overall.

Competing for points in France on behalf of Fortec Motorsport were Stephen Jelley (GB) and Andrew Danyliw (CAN). The two motor sports pros delivered a confident performance, crossing the finish line in 35th place after 79 laps. They began the race in 34th position.

The next race of the Blancpain Endurance Series will be held on July 24-28: the highpoint of the season, the 24 Hours of Spa.

02.Jul 2013

Podium for Sports & You

In the third race of the Portuguese GT Championship, the team Sports & You reached the third step of the podium.

Together with the International Supercar Series, the third round of the current season was held on June 29-30 in Boavista, Portugal. The AMG Customer Sports team entered the competition with four motor sports pros – José Pedro Fontes, Miguel Barbosa, António Coimbra and Luís Silva – piloting two gullwings.

Fontes and Barbosa were the ones who then also delivered a very strong performance, confirmed their third-place qualifying position, and celebrated a third-place finish in the end. The team’s sister car #11 started the race in fifth position with Coimbra and Silva behind the wheel. In the field of fourteen cars, they demonstrated masterful execution and were sixth to see the checkered flag.

The next round of the Portuguese GT Championship– once again together with the International Supercar Series – will be held on August 31 and September 1 in Portimao, Portugal.

02.Jul 2013

3-hour race of the VdeV Endurance Series in Dijon

On Sunday, the 3-hour race of the VdeV Endurance Series in Dijon, France, ended with two midfield finishes for the AMG Customer Sports team G-Private Racing.

The competition in the Endurance GT/Tourism category, the Swiss drivers Philipp and Manuel Zumstein piloted their Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 to a thoroughly respectable 14th-place finish. In the team’s sister car, the trio of Paul Pfefferkorn (AUT), Mathias Schmittler (SUI) and Jörg Peham (AUT) finished 16th. The two G-Private Racing crews had already put the performance of the only two gullwings in the field to the test during the qualifying round: under difficult road conditions during the race, however, they were unable to defend their excellent seventh and ninth starting positions.

The next round of the VdeV Championship, the 12-hour race on the track at Aragon, Spain, is scheduled for August 30 and September 1.

24.Jun 2013

Two podium places at the Polish GT

In the ninth and tenth races of the current season, the AMG Customer Sports team Premium Motorsport Poland finished third both times at its home Grand Prix in Poznan, Poland.

Starting out from qualifying position four in the first race, Piotr Krawczyk (POL) delivered a strong performance in his SLS AMG GT3 and crossed the finish line third. In the weekend’s second race, Krawczyk started out from pole position. On a dry track, he was pleased to finish third once again.

24.Jun 2013

Last weekend the results of the current season’s fourth race were suddenly viewed from a very different perspective. The entire VLN series is mourning its motor sports comrade Wolf Silvester of Bonk Motorsport. Silvester died – apparently due to natural causes – during the race at the wheel of his car.

ROWE RACING entered two gullwings in the 44th showing of the Adenauer ADAC Simfy Trophy. Jan Seyffarth and Nico Bastian (both GER) were at the starting line in car #7 for the Rhineland-Palatinate-based team. Following a spectacular qualification training round in which Bastian delivered an excellent performance with a time of 08:08 minutes, their SLS AMG GT3 started the race from the fourth row. The team’s sister car, driven by Roland Rehfeld, Marko Hartung and Michael Zehe (all GER), began the race in eleventh position.

The two gullwings then started the four-hour endurance race precisely at 12:00 noon. Due to an early pit stop, the SMS AMG GT3 with Nico Bastian at the wheel fell back to 20th place. After an impressive catch-up display, the Frankfurt-based driver was able to hand the wheel over to his team colleague Jan Seyffarth in second position at the two-hour mark.

The second SLS AMG GT3 of ROWE RACING bearing #6 also delivered an excellent performance and advanced to sixth position.

At 2:30 pm, after 2.5 hours of competition, the race was halted by the red flag.

The third gullwing in the field of over 170 cars was entered by CC Car Collection. With Peter Schmidt, Christopher Zöchling (both GER) and Henri Moser (CH) assigned to the cockpit, the car was forced to retire from race after two laps and therefore was not rated.

Just under four weeks from now, on July 20, the VLN will continue on the North Loop of the Nürburgring with the 53rd ADAC Reinoldus Endurance Race.

17.Jun 2013

Strong Mercedes-Benz AMG contingent in Round 3 of the Super GT

The third race of the current Super GT season was held last weekend on the 5.543-km-long circuit in Sepang, Malaysia. A total of four AMG Customer Sports teams were there at the starting line: GaineR, Okinawa-Imp Racing with SHIFT, Leon RACING and GREENTEC.

With two SLS AMG GT3s, GAINER entered the most gullwings in the 51-lap race. The cockpit with #11 was manned by the Japanese-Swedish duo Katsuyuki Hiranaka (JAP) and Björn Wirdheim (SWE). And it was these two motor sports pros who, after an exciting race, ultimately managed to secure a third-place finish overall. The team’s sister car with Tetsuya Tanaka and Masayuki Ueda (both JAP) at the wheel really started competing for the points places from its qualifying position of 10th. In the end it crossed the finish line in seventh position.

With Leon RACING’s eighth-place finish and their two Japanese drivers Haruki and Tsubasa Kurosawa in the cockpit, another SLS AMG GT3 also managed to join the ranks of the top ten. Competing for OKINAWA-IMP Racing with SHIFT, the fourth gullwing in the field rounded out the successful weekend in Malaysia with a twelfth-place finish.

GREENTEC’s SLS AMG GT3 was forced to abandon the race early after 28 laps.

The next round of the Super GT will be held on July 27-28 at the “Sportsland SUGO” in Japan.

17.Jun 2013

Polish GT stops in Hungary

The sixth and seventh race of the Polish GT Championship took place on Hungary’s Pannoniaring from June 15 - 16. Joining the other cars on the starting line was Piotr Krawczyk and his SLS AMG GT3 from AMG Customer Sports team Premium Motorsport Poland.

However, the Polish team was not blessed with good fortune over the race weekend. In both races they were seriously involved in accidents. In the first race, the collision forced them to retire. In the second race they were able to continue but they forfeited all their chances of an overall victory.

The next race of the FIA CEZ takes place from June 23 - 24 in Poznan / Poland.

17.Jun 2013

Debut at the STT

At the third race of this year’s Special Touring Car Trophy (STT) at the Hockenheimring, an SLS AMG GT3 took to the starting line for the first time. Michael Yenci drove the gullwing with competition number 44 for the AMG Customer Sport Team Seyffarth Motorsport. However, he had to end the race early after 20 laps.

The next STT race takes place in Oschersleben from July 5 - 7.

17.Jun 2013

Victory at the international GT Open in Spain

Last weekend the AMG Customer Sports team Seyffarth Motorsport took to the starting grid on the “Circuito de Jerez” as part of the international GT Open.

In the cockpit of the only SLS AMG GT3 on the field were local hero Miguel Toril and Renger van der Zande from The Netherlands. However, the team had to battle several problems during the first race and had to end the race early.

However, in the second race they proved themselves completely: on the dry track and with temperatures of 32 degrees, the two racing drivers in the gullwing with number 61 gave an impressive performance. Having started the race in eighth place, they didn’t give their opponents any opportunities and after 27 laps they were the first to see the checkered flag, confidently taking first place.

The next races for the international GT Open take place from July 13 - 14 at the tradition-steeped Silverstone race track in Great Britain.

17.Jun 2013

Two top tens for FORTEC Motorsport

After the last race on the legendary Silverstone race track, the AMG Customer Sport Team FORTEC Motorsport headed to the runway of a decommissioned airfield last weekend. One SLS AMG GT3 battled it out for points in the British GT on the 3.132 km long Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit.

The gullwing with the number 14 was driven by Jason Minshaw and Benji Hetherington (both GB). Starting from ninth place in the first race, both Englishmen displayed a very good performance and their SLS AMG GT3 crossed the finish line in sixth position. In the second race of the weekend, the two motorsport professionals once again gave a convincing performance. After the qualifying they were initially in thirteenth place. In the subsequent race they were able to move up seven places and crossed the finishing line in sixth place after 31 laps.

The next stage of the British GT Championship will be held from August 10 - 11 on the Brands Hatch Circuit.

17.Jun 2013

Fourth stage of the DMV TCC

The fourth event of the season within the context of the international DMV TCC was held from June 15 - 16 on the Hockenheimring. A total of three SLS AMG GT3s went the half-hour distance in each of the two classification rounds.

Josef Klüber from AMG Customer Sports team Schütz Motorsport crossed the finishing line in eleventh place in the first race on the 4.574 km long course. In the second race he was delighted to take fourth place.

The Swiss driver Bruno Stucky proved himself for ANTeam Motorsport in the first race of the weekend. After 18 laps he secured a very good fourth place. During the second race of the weekend, when in fourth place, he lost a lot of time when lapping his rivals and had to be satisfied with fifth place in the end. His brother Edwin Stucky, who competed in the team’s sister car, achieved tenth place in the first classification round and ninth place in the second race.

Next up on the international DMV TCC schedule is the half-way race from July 26 - 27, which will be held on the Hockenheimring again.

10.Jun 2013

Four Top 10 finishes in Round 3 of the ADAC GT Masters

Round 3 of this year’s ADAC GT Masters was held on the Sachsenring on June 8-9 under turbulent weather conditions. Summer’s radiant smile still warmed the first race, but by the second race the sunshine was no more. A heavy thunderstorm even delayed the start by a half an hour. Despite the inclement weather, the AMG Customer Sports team Polarweiss Racing made a good showing with four Top 10 finishes.

In the qualifying round for the first race of the weekend, ADAC GT Masters defending champion Maximilian Götz (GER) and namesake Maximilian Buhk (GER) performed well and piloted their SLS AMG GT3 to a #4 start position. In a solidly executed race, they barely missed the chance to ascend the podium, crossing the finish line in fifth place. In the second race, during which many competitors were forced to drop out, Götz and Buhk prevailed, driving the gullwing bearing the number ten confidently through the field. Ultimately they posted a tenth-place finish.

The team’s sister car was piloted by Sergey Afanasiev of Russia and the Andreas Simonsen of Sweden. Starting out from 18th position in the first race, the two motor sports pros began an impressive pursuit race, advancing ten places in all. They were eighth to cross the finish line. In the second race, they once again found their way along the 3.671-km-long course without any problem. On the rain-soaked but drying track, the gullwing with number eleven started out ninth and 40 laps later finished in sixth place.

The next stop of the ADAC GT Masters is the Nürburgring in the Eifel Mountains of Germany. The teams will battle it out for points on the legendary race track on August 2-4.

03.Jun 2013

GT Open on the Nürburgring

Thick fog enveloping the Nürburgring wrecked havoc on the schedule of the GT Open. And the results of Seyffarth Motorsport, the only AMG Customer Sports team in the field of 23 cars, were just as patchy as the weather. After Miguel Toril (ESP) managed to take second place in the GTS championship standings of the GT Open, expectations for the Eifel race were also high.

In the first race of the weekend, the team led by Jan Seyffarth (GER) and Toril were able to post a ninth-place finish – and fifth place in the GTS class. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 started the second race from a promising sixth position. However a collision amid the turmoil at the start forced starting driver Seyffarth to take another pit stop already after the first lap. Although the SLS AMG GT3 pilot was able to continue driving thereafter, his chances for a top-ranked finish had vanished. He ultimately finished 17th overall and tenth in the GTS class. The next stop on the GT Open is June 15-16 in Jerez, Spain.

03.Jun 2013

Bad luck prevents victory in Silverstone

In the second race of this year’s Blancpain Endurance Series, a technical defect stood in the way of success in the three-hour endurance race. The Black Falcon team from Germany brought two gullwings to the competition in England: the SLS AMG GT3 piloted by Adam Christodoulou (UK), Klaas Hummel (NL) and Steve Jans (LUX) in particular attracted attention right from the start. Starting out the race from twelfth position, the fast trio consistently appeared to be headed for the podium in the PRO-AM Cup. After about one hour, the gullwing with the #18 was very well positioned – second in its class – and was also fighting its way into the lead group in the overall classification. Due to a technical defect and an extended repair time, however, it only managed to finish 47th overall and 19th in its class.

The team’s sister car with Andrii Lebed (UKR), Oliver Morley and Duncan Tappy (both GB) started from qualifying position 16 on the 5.901-km-long track. After 84 laps, it took ninth place in its class and was 23rd overall to cross the finish line.

Another SLS AMG GT3 was entered for the second AMG Customer Sports team Fortec Competition. This weekend marked that team’s first time competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series. Piloted by Benji Hatherington, Ollie Hancock and Stephen Jelley (all GB), the gullwing with the #62 delivered a solid performance and after three hours finished 16th overall. In the end it ranked twelfth in the PRO class.

The English team Preci-Spark came to Silverstone for its second outing of the season. Not just one or two but three motor sports pros with the surname Jones were behind the wheel: David, Godfrey and Morgan (all GB). Starting out the race from the qualifying position 48, the three Englishmen performed well and fought their way ahead, advancing eighteen places to 30th place.

The next race of the Blancpain Endurance Series will be held on June 29-30 in France on the Paul Ricard Circuit.

03.Jun 2013

Pappas establishes himself at the forefront of the Pirelli World Challenge

Tim Pappas (USA) of the AMG Customer Sports team Black Swan Racing is hitting his stride in the Pirelli World Challenge: In the two races, which were held in connection with the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, the Boston-based race driver saw the checkered flag twice as the fifth-place finisher – an outstanding result for the team, which is racing the gullwing this season for the first time. Pappas already attracted attention in the training units and the qualifying round. In the Saturday training session, for example, he posted the best time of the 34 starters on the damp-but-drying 2.35-mile-long road circuit. The two fifth-place finishes in the races were also fifth-place rankings in the GT class. As a result, Pappas now ranks eighth in the driver’s standings of the GT competition. The second US American AMG Customer Sports team Green Hornet Racing with team owner and driver Peter LeSaffre (USA) was not entered in the race in Detroit. The next races of the PWC will be held on Independence Day, the 4th of July, on the track in Lime Rock Park, Connecticut.

27.May 2013

Double victory at the opening round of the Super Taikyu

There’s no better way to start out a season than the AMG Customer Sports team PETRONAS Syntium did. On the brand new Inje Speedium circuit in Korea, team leader Dato’ David Wong’s team won not just one but both of the first two races of the Super Taikyu 2013. Logically enough, these two victories also mean that the defending champions have the lead in the overall standings.

The outstanding drivers of the weekend were Fariqe Hairuman (MAL) and Jono Lester (NZL) in the SLS AMG GT3 with #28. They earned pole positions for both races on the 3.880-kilometer-long course. In the two 45-minute sprint races – with no change of drivers and no pit stops – both Hairuman and Lester then delivered start-to-finish victories. In the first race, the stiffest competition came from within the team’s own ranks: Melvin Moh (MAL) in the sister car bearing the #1 took second place. In the second race, Dominic Ang (MAL) piloted the gullwing with the #1 to a third-place finish – the fourth out of four possible podium places for the PETRONAS Syntium team.

Team leader Dato’ David Wong: “I’m absolutely thrilled with today’s results, of course. With two victories and two pole positions, the PETRONAS Syntium team collected a maximum number of championship points. I’m especially happy for our young drivers who took full advantage of their opportunity here in Korea. This shows that we will also be very competitive as a team again this season. A great start toward achieving our objective: defending the championship title!”

27.May 2013

On the podium in Estoril

The second stop of the Portuguese GT Championship turned into a cliffhanger for the AMG Customer Sports team Sports & You. In the SLS AMG GT3 emblazoned with the #7, José Pedro Fontes and Miguel Barbosa (both POR) dominated events for long stretches during the two-hour race in Estoril: Starting out from second position, Barbosa managed to take the lead immediately and defend it until mid-race. The Portuguese pilot also posted the fastest lap of the race during his turn at the wheel. After the change of drivers, Pedro Fontes held on to second position up until lap 44 when a technical defect halted his ascent to the podium, relegating the duo to seventh rank in the final standings. Their negative bottom line was the opposite for the team’s sister car piloted by António Coimbra and Luís Silva: starting out from fifth position, the duo managed to fight their way forward to third place already during the first half of the race, and then they were also able to defend that position all the way to the finish line after 67 laps.

The next round of the Portuguese GT Championship will be held on June 29-30 in Boavista (POR) – once again together with the International Supercar Series.

27.May 2013

Next stop: Silverstone

The AMG Customer Sports team FORTEC Motorsport sent two SLS AMG GT3s to the grid of the British GT which was held on May 25-26 on the venerable Silverstone race track.

The cockpit of the gullwing with the number fourteen was occupied by Jason Minshaw and Benji Hetherington (both GB). Starting the race from tenth position, the two Englishmen in the SLS AMG GT3 demonstrated a solid performance and crossed the finish line thirteenth after 76 laps.

The team’s sister car was piloted by Steve Jans (LUX) and Klaas Hummel (NL). In the three-hour-long endurance race, the two motor sports pros managed to advance nine places from qualifying position 23 to finish fourteenth.

Round 4 of the British GT will be held on June 15-16 in Snetterton. The teams there will battle it out for points in two 60-minute races.

27.May 2013

SLS AMG GT3 triumphs in Australia

At the wheel of the only gullwing in the field, Jack LeBrocq (AUS) was the victor twice in the Australian GT Championship last weekend.

The Australian, who entered the competition on the Philip Island Circuit for the AMG Customer Sports team Erebus Motorsport, demonstrated impressive performance “down under” right from the outset. He never gave his competitors a chance, even in the qualifying round, and started from the pole position in the subsequent races. It came as no great surprise, then, when the 20-year-old dominated the first race on Saturday, finishing more than a half minute ahead of the second-place finisher. He repeated that performance in the second race of the weekend, leaving his competitors to finish behind him once again.

The Australian GT Championship continues on July 12-14 at Sydney Motorsport Park in Eastern Creek.

22.May 2013

24-Hours of Nürburgring: Victory for Black Falcon AMG Customer Team

Nürburg/Affalterbach – Mercedes-Benz and AMG today secured the first overall win in the 24-Hours of Nürburgring. Bearing starting number 9, Black Falcon with Bernd Schneider (Germany), Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), Sean Edwards (GB) and Nicki Thiim (Denmark) went from sixth position on the grid to finish the legendary endurance race 2:39 minutes ahead of the second placed car after 88 laps. This historic overall victory in the legendary endurance classic in the Eifel represents the first success for Mercedes-Benz. Record-breaking five-time DTM champion Bernd Schneider had a largely trouble-free race in the SLS AMG GT3 Black Falcon– an excursion off track on Monday morning ended without drama. The victory was rounded off by positions three and four for ROWE RACING.

Thomas Jäger was a double entrant, taking the cockpit in two SLS AMG GT3s prepared by ROWE RACING. In Gullwing #22, the former DTM driver, along with Klaus Graf, Jan Seyffarth and Nico Bastian (all Germany), came home in third place overall. Jäger, at the wheel of car number 23, aided by team-mates Lance David Arnold, Alexander Roloff and Jan Seyffarth (all Germany), finally took the chequered flag in fourth place.

Alexander Böhm, Black Falcon General Manager: “The ultra-reliable SLS AMG GT3 was once again the cornerstone for this historic victory. All the drivers did a great job – we were really fast, especially in the wet. A big thank you to all team members!”

Hans-Peter Naundorf, ROWE RACING Team Manager: “I am extremely pleased with securing P3 and P4 with #22 and #23, especially as we were forced to retire last year while in the lead. My thanks go to all drivers and team members. Congratulations to the winning team, Black Falcon.”

Uli Fritz, Head of AMG Customer Sports: “We were not among the favourites to win, as we are not a works team but simply a customer outfit. We are very excited about this historic success. So far in 2013, we have won every major endurance race with the SLS AMG GT3 – in January, the Dubai (UAE) 24-hour race, in February, the Bathurst 12-Hours (Australia) and now the legendary 24- hour race here at the Nürburgring. My congratulations go to all AMG customer teams, and many thanks to tyre partner Dunlop for the excellent manner in which they have supported our team.”

Ola Kaellenius, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “A great success for our customer teams Black Falcon and ROWE RACING. I am very pleased that we have succeeded at only the third attempt in taking the top spot in the SLS AMG GT3. This victory is the best confirmation of our customer sports programme.”

Toto Wolff, Head of Motorsport at Mercedes-Benz: “This victory in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring is the just reward for the loyalty of our customer teams. Mercedes-Benz has a magnificent tradition in endurance racing that stretches back as far as the 1950s. The Nürburgring has always had a great importance and symbolic meaning for Mercedes-Benz, because this is where the legend of the Silver Arrow was born, so it is all the more gratifying to witness the success here today of the AMG customer teams. The Mercedes-Benz name stands for performance, quality and reliability – which are the perfect prerequisites for winning such a tough race on the most demanding racetrack in the world. I extend my congratulations to our customer teams, Black Falcon and ROWE RACING. Credit is also due to Mercedes-AMG for their outstanding support without which this success could not have been achieved.”

Bernd Schneider, Black Falcon, # 9: “Our car was super to drive, especially in the wet, and even while the surface was drying out, we were always up with the leading group. I’ve attempted the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring on several previous occasions, but this is the first time I’ve ever crossed the finish line. My congratulations and thanks go to the whole team. The guys at Black Falcon did a great job.”

Thomas Jäger, ROWE RACING, # 22: “Once again, we have seen what a fabulous car the SLS AMG GT3 is to drive, even under these very difficult conditions here at the Nürburgring. Our third and fourth place finishes represent a great team result for ROWE RACING, and obviously I’m delighted for the guys at Black Falcon on their historic victory.”

Lance David Arnold, ROWE RACING, # 23: “I’m very pleased that I was able to finish fourth on my very first outing for the AMG customer team ROWE RACING. This was very tough race, not least because of the heavy rain and the constantly changing conditions. I’d like to express my gratitude and congratulations to the whole team.”

Seven SLS AMG GT3s in 24-hour race at Nürburgring

There were no fewer than seven SLS AMG GT3s contesting the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. Car number 63 entered by Black Falcon and driven by Vimal Mehta (IND), Kaled al Qubaisi (UAE), Daniel Keilwitz and Christian Bracke (both GER) finished in 19th position. Number 125 (ROWE RACING) with Michael Zehe, Reinhold Renger, Marko Hartung and Mark Bullit (all GER) sharing the cockpit crossed the line in P27. Car number 10, also entered by Black Falcon and driven by Andrii Lebed (UKR), Andreas Simonsen (SWE), Dennis Rostek (GER) and Hari Proczyk (AUT), spent much of the race under repair and eventually finished in 130th position. The ROWE RACING number 21 driven by Marko Hartung, Kenneth Heyer, Roland Rehfeld and Christan Hohenadel (all GER) had to retire from the race after an accident.

22.May 2013

Good Performance on the Circuit of the Americas

The third stop of the Pirelli World Challenge led the participants to Austin, Texas. The cars competing for valuable championship points on the “Circuit of the Americas” included two Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s. With fifth and tenth places in the GT classification, Tim Pappas (USA) of the Black Swan Racing team produced the best results among the gullwings.

Having sat out Round 2 of the PWC, the Green Hornet Racing team’s Fusion Worldwide SLS AMG GT3 was once again at the starting line in Austin. Team owner and pilot Peter LeSaffre (USA) at the wheel posted eleventh-place GT finishes in both races on the high-speed track. The next round of the Pirelli World Challenge is scheduled for May 31, 2013 at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.

22.May 2013

Three Top Ten finishes in the DMV TCC on the Slovakiaring

Unlike the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring, the International DMV TCC’s third outing of the season took place under perfect racing conditions on the Slovakiaring (SLO). On the nearly six-kilometer-long course, the AMG Customer Sports team ANTeam Motorsport’s Bruno Stucky was the fastest pilot in both races in an SLS AMG GT3. The Swiss driver, who celebrated his birthday that weekend, was pleased with his fifth and sixth-place finishes. His brother Edwin Stucky, who entered the race in the team’s sister car, achieved an eighth place finish among a total of 28 participants at the start. In the second sprint race over the half-hour distance, however, he withdrew early and received no points. The next round of the DMV TCC is at the Hockenheimring on July 14-15, 2013.

13.May 2013

Round 2 of the GT Open in Portimão

The second round of the international GT Open took the participants to Portugal. Basking in summer-like temperatures, the Autodromo do Algarve featured two races which, in parallel, also counted toward the Spanish GT Championship. As the only AMG Customer Sports team, Seyffarth Motorsport put up a good fight against the international competition: in the 70-minute-long first race, Jan Seyffarth (GER) and Miguel Toril (ESP) took third place in the GTS class and sixth overall.

On Sunday the duo started the race with the fastest qualifying time of the GTS class. The SLS AMG GT3 made a good showing in the lead group up until the tenth lap, but then a damaged tire cost them valuable time. In the end, the duo had to settle for 14th place overall and ninth in the GTS class.

The next round of the GT Open will be held on June 1-2 on the Nürburgring.

13.May 2013

Polish GT travels to Austria

Piotr Krawczyk and his SLS AMG GT3 continue to set the tone in the Polish GT Championship. The driver for the AMG Customer Sports team Premium Motorsport Poland took second place in the FIA CEZ race on the Austrian Red Bull Ring on Saturday. A remarkable success for the GT championship leader, not only because he was competing for the first time at Spielberg, but also because it was on a rain-soaked track. Piotr Krawczyk managed to take fourth place in Sunday’s race.

13.May 2013

Top results in Round 2 of the ADAC GT Masters in Belgium

Four by four – that’s the impressive bottom line for the AMG Customer Sports team Polarweiss Racing last weekend. The German team placed its two SLS AMG GT3s among the top four in each of the two races in Belgium last weekend. At the Spa-Francorchamps race track – a track which is steeped in rich tradition – things went just according to plan right from the outset, especially for Maximilian Buhk (GER) and GT Masters Champion Maximilian Götz (GER). The two pilots demonstrated their good form and finished confidently on the winners’ podium (second place) already in the first race. In the second race of the weekend, Buhk and Götz started their chase for points from third position. After twenty laps, they were second to cross the finish line once again.

After the second of eight race weekends all together, the two Germans now rank sixth (with 38 points each) in the overall driver standings. Their sister car with No. 11 started the first race on the “Ardennes roller coaster” from twelfth position. With Sergey Afanasyev (RUS) and Andreas Simonsen (SWE) at the wheel, the gullwing made up eight positions in all ultimately finishing in fourth place. The two Polarweiss pilots repeated that impressive performance in the second race. They started out once again from twelfth position and celebrated another fourth-place finish. The solid team performance put the Polarweiss team in the lead of the team standings (54 points).

The next stop of the ADAC GT Masters is barely four weeks away (June 7-9) on the Sachsenring in Hochenstein-Ernstthal.

07.May 2013

Catch-up race at the British GT

Jason Minshaw and Benji Hetherington made up a twelve-position deficit in impressive style during Round 2 of the British GT Championship. The two English drivers entered the race in one of the two racing gullwings of the AMG Customer Sports team on the 4,121-meter-long “International Long Circuit” in Rockingham.

Starting out in 16th position in the SLS AMG GT3 bearing the number 14, they engaged in a spectacular chase to catch the leaders. After a total of 78 laps, they were fourth to cross the finish line. This outstanding performance meant already the second top-five finish this season for Benji Hetherington. In the first round of the British GT, he finished third. That gives him a very good fourth place overall in the GT3 standings.

The team’s sister car with Danny Candia (PRY) and Ollie Webb (ENG) at the wheel was forced out of the race early due to an accident having completed two-thirds of the total race distance.

The next round of the British GT Championship will be held on May 25-26 at the traditional Silverstone Arena.

30.Apr 2013

Two podium places at the Hungaroring

For the AMG Customer Sports team Premium Motorsport Poland, the next round of competition in the Polish GT Championship was held at the Hungaroring in Hungary. Piotr Krawczyk (POL) delivered impressive performances in the two FIA CEZ circuit championship series races. With intrepid fighting spirit, he piloted his SLS AMG GT3 from starting position nine forward through the field to finish second in the first sprint race. And Krawczyk mounted the second step of the winner’s podium also after the second race of the weekend.

30.Apr 2013

First round of the International GT Open in Le Castellet

Pole position for Miguel Toril (ES) and Renger van der Zande (NL) – that strong appearance by the AMG Customer Sports team Seyffarth Motorsport opened the new season of the International GT Open series at the Paul Ricard Circuit in Le Castellet, France. But rain and fog prevented the Spanish-Dutch duo from defending its good starting position during the race: 12th place in the first race of the weekend, seventh in the GTS class.

Toril / van der Zande managed to make an even better showing in the second race, finishing in fourth place overall – and their second-place finish in the GTS category fell just short of the class victory.

30.Apr 2013

Silver linings and clouds in the ADAC GT Masters opener

With two pole positions for the AMG Customer Sports team Polarweiss Racing, the first weekend of the ADAC GT Masters 2013 took a promising turn right from the start. In the etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, the duo of Maximilian Götz (GER) and Maximilian Buhk (GER) each earned a lead starting position for the two races.

In the race, however, the positions of many cars – including the SLS AMG GT3 of Götz/Buhk – changed dramatically as the field experienced turbulent shifts due to wet road surfaces. In eleventh place it finished behind its own team’s sister car, the one which Sergey Afanasyev (RUS) and Andreas Simonsen (SWE) piloted to a good seventh-place finish.

The second race of the weekend started out far better: for a half an hour, the ADAC GT Masters defending champion Maximilian Götz fought an exciting battle for the lead. But the compulsory change of drivers abruptly crushed their chances of winning: having cut the minimum pit stop time one second short, Maximilian Buhk was forced to return to the pit stall with stop and go penalty. In the final assessment, that meant a ninth-place finish. Afanasyev and Simonsen had better luck once again, improving further on their previous day’s performance and crossing the finish line in fifth position.

30.Apr 2013

Good dress rehearsal at the VLN

No less than 211 cars entered the second round of the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring. Many of them use the 55th ADAC ACAS H&R Cup along the North Loop as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming 24-hour race – and the seven SLS AMG GT3s in the competition were no exception.

At the end of the four-hour distance, it was Black Falcon’s racing gullwing – with Bernd Schneider (GER), Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL) and Sean Edwards (GB) at the wheel – which posted the best result among the AMG Customer Sports teams, finishing in a good tenth-place. It was followed closely by the ROWE RACING team’s best SLS AMG GT3 – eleventh place for the car competing in the striking DUNLOP ART CAR design, with Thomas Jäger, Klaus Graf, Kenneth Heyer and Nico Bastian (all GER).

In ROWE RACING’s sister car bearing No. 21, Lance David Arnold (GER) had already provided a highlight in the morning qualifying round: under difficult road conditions, he posted the best-rated time and earned the right to start from the pole position. During the race, Arnold alternated at the wheel with former ski jumper Sven Hannawald and the VLN rookie Thorsten Drewes (both GER). The trio was able to defend its excellent position over a long distance of the race and even managed to lead the field for a few laps. Ultimately they crossed the finish line in 14th place.

The four other SLS AMG GT3s also logged valuable racing miles in preparation for the North Loop season highlight: the 24-hour race. In the overall standings, they finished the race in 18th (Black Falcon with Nicki Thiim and Christian Bracke), 28th (CC Car Collection with Peter Schmidt, Christopher Zöchling and Marcel Blumer), 38th (ROWE RACING with Michael Zehe, Marko Hartung, Roland Rehfeld and Mark Bullit) and 94th place (Black Falcon with Vimal Metha and Khaled Al Qubaisi), respectively.

30.Apr 2013

Fourth place in the season opener in Spain

The long-awaited season opener of the Portuguese GT Championship was held last weekend at the Ciudad del Motor de Aragón. The AMG customer team Sports & You entered two Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s in the race, which counts for both the international and the Portuguese Supercar series. José Pedro Fontes and Miguel Barbosa demonstrated courageous racing spirit, at times leading the field. They ultimately finished fourth, just barely missing their first chance to mount the winner’s podium in the new season. In the team’s sister car, António Coimbra and Luís Silva were forced out of the race and earned no points.

30.Apr 2013

Super GT with four out of five SLS AMG GT3s in the top ten

Clear the track for the Round 2 of the Japanese Super GT Championship. The “FUJI GT 500-km Race” was the scheduled event for the participants at the Fuji Speedway. In the GT300 category, there were also five Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s at the start – and four (!) of them managed to place in the top ten.

Hironori Takeuchi and Takeshi Tsuchiya of team Shift (OKINAWA-IMP SLS) delivered the best gullwing result: in the race, the two Japanese drivers confirmed their fourth place from the qualifying. Sixth place went to Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Bjorn Wirdheim (GAINER DIXCEL SLS), who were able to join the lead group after starting out from 18th position.

Haruki Kurosawa and Masanobu Kato (LEON SLS) also finished the nearly three-hour race in a convincing eighth place. Finishing tenth in the GAINER team’s sister car, Tetsuya Tanaka and Masayuki Ueda (GAINER Rn-SPORTS DIXCEL SLS) could also celebrate together with the rest of the Top Ten. Hisashi Wada and Masaki Jyonai (GREENTEC SLS AMG GT3) also fought their way far ahead through the pack: in the original field of 26 cars, the pilots advanced from starting position 22 to finish in a respectable 13th position.

15.Apr 2013

Victory and lead ranking in the Polish GT Championship (WSMP)

Perfect debut for the AMG Customer Sports team of Premium Motorsport Poland: in the opening weekend of the Polish GT Championship in Poznan, the only gullwing pilot in the field, Piotr Krawczyk (POL), was pleased to mount the podium twice. In the first race on Saturday, the Pole piloted his Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 to a second-place finish. In the 15-lap sprint on the following day, Krawczyk posted his first victory of the season. He now leads in the overall standings and is traveling to Hungary for the second round of the series, which will be held on April 27-28 on the Hungaroring.

15.Apr 2013

Starting gun sounds for the third season of the Blancpain Endurance Series

The first round of the Blancpain Endurance Series 2013 was held in Monza on April 13-14.

Black Falcon’s two SLS AMG GT3s and one Preci-Spark gullwing took part. The cars of Black Falcon were piloted by Adam Christodoulou (UK), Klaas Hummel (NL) and Steve Jans (LUX) (Number 18) as well as Robert Hissom (USA), Andrii Lebed (UKR) and Oliver Morley (UK) (Number 19). The brothers David and Godfrey Jones (UK) competed in the race for Preci-Spark.

After 94 laps, Black Falcon with Hummel/Jans/Christodoulou at the wheel crossed the finish line in tenth place. That performance was all the more impressive in that the trio started the race in 39th position. In their class (PAM), they achieved an outstanding third-place ranking.

The team’s other gullwing was forced to withdraw early after having completed a third of the race.

The AMG Customer Sports team Preci-Spark and the Jones brothers finished the challenging race with a good mid-field placement (16th place overall).

The next round of the Blancpain Endurance Series will be held on June 1-2 at the Silverstone Circuit in Great Britain.

15.Apr 2013

Season opener of the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring

The AMG Customer Sports teams ROWE RACING, Black Falcon and Car Collection Motorsport entered a total of five racing gullwings in the competition in the opening round of this year’s endurance racing season on the Nürburgring.

In the 200-car field of participants in the 38 th DVM 4-Hour Race, ROWE RACING started with three gullwings. Among them, the SLS AMG GT3 with No. 7 and the German quartet at the wheel – Thomas Jäger, Jan Seyffarth, Kenneth Heyer and Alexander Roloff – delivered the most successful performance. In the end, they were pleased with a very good seventh-place finish.

Similarly, Lance David Arnold (GER), the former ski jumper Sven Hannawald (GER) and motor sports rookie Thorsten Drewes (GER) were also satisfied with their performance. With ninth place after 27 laps, they likewise celebrated a Top Ten finish.

The third car of the Bubenheim-based racing team with Michael Zehe (GER), Marko Hartung (GER), Mark Bullit (USA) and Reinhold Renger (GER) in the cockpit started out the race in 40 th position. After a furious pursuit race, they reached 18 th place overall.

The Rhineland-Palatinate-based team Black Falcon with Vimal Mehta (TZA), Khaled Al Qubaisi (UAE) and Andreas Simonsen (SWE) at the wheel finished the first race of the new season in 15 th place. Among the 20 cars entered in their class (SP9), the AMG Customer Sports team achieved a very good 11 th rank.

In Car Collection Motorsport’s gullwing debut in the VLN series, Peter Schmidt (GER), Marcel Blumer (CH) and Dieter Lehner (CH) were at the wheel. After a total of 25 laps, the Hessians crossed the finish line 25 th.

The next VLN round on the Nürburgring North Loop, the 55 th ADAC ACAS H&R Cup, will be held on April 27.

08.Apr 2013

A first victory and a record number of entries for the SLS AMG GT3 in the Super GT in Japan

On the 3.703-km circuit in Okayama, Japan, a total of four AMG Customer Sports teams competed: GAINER, OKINAWA-IMP RACING with SHIFT, LEON RACING and R'Qs MotorSports – more than ever before in the Japanese Super GT series. In an exciting race, Team GAINER with Katsuyuki Hiranaka (JAP) and Björn Wirdheim (SWE) at the wheel was ultimately able to prevail confidently over the formidable competition.

The Japanese-Swedish duo knew how to dominate right from the outset: starting out from third place, they took the lead after ten laps, extending it sometimes to as much as 22 seconds. In the end, after 77 laps and 01:59´57 hours, they wrapped up the first-ever gullwing victory in the Japanese Super GT.

Two other SLS AMG GT3s were able to finish in the top ten: Fourth-place finishers OKINAWA-IMP RACING with SHIFT piloted by Hironori Takeuchi and Takeshi Tsuchiya of Japan, and sixth-place finishers LEON RACING with fellow Japanese Haruki Kurosawa and Masanobu Kato at the wheel. GAINER’s sister car driven by Tetsuya Tanaka (JAP) and Masayuki Ueda (JAP) rounded out the successful weekend in Japan with a 15th place finish.

The next round of the Super GT will be held on April 28-29 on the Fuji Speedway in Oyama.

08.Apr 2013

Season debut in the DMV Touring Car Challenge (DMV TCC)

The first round of this year’s DMV TCC was held on April 5-6 at the Hockenheimring. With two races on the 4.574-km circuit, the AMG Customer Sports program’s “home game” in Baden-Württemberg featured five of its drivers in all – Christian Land (GER, Land Motorsport), Klaus Koch (GER, Car Collection Motorsport), the Swiss brothers Bruno and Edwin Stucky (both of ANTeam) and Josef Klüber (GER, Schütz Motorsport).

Christian Land celebrated a particularly successful debut in the first race of the new season: after 18 laps (32:23.765 mins.) the driver from North Rhine-Westphalia finished in a great fifth place. Bruno Stucky (sixth) and Klaus Koch (seventh) also delivered impressive performances. Josef Klüber, competing in his first race in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, finished in 19th place. Edwin Stucky finished 25th.

In a dramatic second race, tire damage knocked out the lead car 22 seconds before the end of the race. The racing gullwings’ pilots made another strong showing. Peter Schmidt (GER), who raced for Car Collection Motorsport in place of Klaus Koch, drove to a strong fifth-place finish. With Bruno Stucky (6th) and Josef Klüber (8th), two more of the five racing gullwings also finished in the top ten. Edwin Stucky followed in a respectable eleventh position. Having been forced out of the race early due to a collision, Christian Land could do no better than 36th in the overall standings in the second race (classification: eighth rank out of ten).

The next round of the DMV Touring Car Challenge will be held on April 19-20 at the Nürburgring.

02.Apr 2013

Another place on the podium in the season opener of the British GT

A successful debut for the new AMG Customer Sports team Fortec Motorsport with Benji Hetherington (ENG) and Ollie Hancock (ENG) at the wheel. Right from the outset in the season premiere of the British GT, they managed to position their racing gullwing in third place in the first race.

In the second race, the duo was able to finish 23rd.

The team’s sister car was driven by two other Englishmen: Jason Minshaw and James Walker. Due to an accident, however, they were forced to end the first race early.

In the second race on the 4.332-km-long track, the two pilots displayed very good performance in the SLS AMG GT3, earning a sixth place finish.

The next race of the British GT will be held at the “Rockingham International Long Circuit” in Northamptonshire on June 10, 2013.

02.Apr 2013

Podium to start off the FIA GT Series

The first round of the newly established FIA-GT Championship was held from March 29 to April 1. The successor series to the FIA-GT1 World Championship celebrated its season opener on Easter weekend in Nogaro, France.

HTP Gravity Charouz entered a total of three vehicles and six drivers at the “Circuit Paul Armagnac”. The Czech team’s pilots competed for points in three different classes (PAM, PRO and GTR) on the 3.636-km-long track.

The team’s first car, which paired the German FIA GT3 European Champion Maximilian Buhk with the Israeli Alon Day, achieved a top result with a third place finish. Under extremely adverse conditions – among other things, the first two laps were run behind the Safety Car due to rain – the two motor sports pros managed to reach the podium and confirm their third rank in the qualifying round.

The duo Sergei Afanasiev (RUS) and Andreas Simonsen (SWE) – also racing for HTP Gravity Charouz – entered the race in car No. 2. At the finish line, they had every reason to be satisfied with their 16th place overall and seventh in their category.

Jan Stovicek (CZE) and Petr Charouz (CZE) rounded out a successful weekend for the team. The two Czechs drove to a second place in the special competition of the Gentleman’s Trophy (GTR). In the overall ranking they finished 21st.

Another gullwing was entered by the AMG Customer Sports team SMS Seyffarth Motorsport. At the wheel of their SLS AMG GT3, Jan Seyffarth (GER) and former Formula 1 driver Karun Chandhok (IND) made a very good showing. With the car No. 28, the two experienced pilots took sixth place in the qualifying session. In the overall classification, they managed to finish the race in tenth position.

The next round of the FIA GT Series will be held on April 20-21 at the “Circuit Zolder” in Belgium.

28.Mar 2013

Successful debut for the SLS AMG GT in the USA.

At the premiere of the Pirelli World Challenge, AMG Customer Sports teams Black Swan Racing and Green Hornet Racing were highly competitive on the “Streets of St. Petersburg” (USA) right from the start.

On this first outing in the racing gullwing, Black Swan posted two Top Ten finishes - a very respectable start in the new motor sports season for the AMG Customer Sports team with the 39-year-old pilot Tim Pappas (USA).

On the 2.890-kilometer street circuit, the team with the No. 54 started the first race out from eighth position. After a total of 34 laps, they confirmed their impressive performance potential with a ninth place finish.

On the next day, they managed to turn the previous day’s result the other way around: They started out from ninth position and finished eighth.

The racing gullwing of the Green Hornet Racing team with Peter LeSaffre (USA) at the wheel improved from 14th grid position to eleventh place in the first race. In the second race an accident ended his race prematurely.

The next round of the Pirelli World Challenge will be held on April 19-21 in California on the “Streets of Long Beach.”

04.Mar 2013

SLS AMG GT3 wins in Australia

The “Streets of Adelaide” have a new champion: Craig Baird (NZ). The 42-year-old won “Down Under” for the Australian team Erebus Motorsport GT in the SLS AMG GT3 - and not once, but twice.

Last weekend was a complete success for the AMG customer team. Both in the first race on Saturday and in the second race on Sunday, the team from Melbourne took first place with its New Zealand pilot Craig Baird. The Australians already triumphed in the gullwing in the opening round of the Australian GT Championship, the Bathurst 12-Hour Race.

The team’s outstanding success was completed by ex-Formula One driver Christian Klien (AUT). After starting out from the pole position in the first race, the Austrian was held back by a safety car phase and “only” able to finish fifth. But then things went much better for Klien in the second race on Sunday. The 30-year-old achieved excellent results, finishing in third place and setting a new record lap time (01:20.715 minutes).

Craig Baird: “What a wild weekend! It was a great honor for me to have achieved this fantastic result with the SLS AMG GT3. At first I was somewhat disappointed after Friday’s qualifying round. But that motivated me more than ever to win the two races. I would like to thank Erebus Motorsport GT, who really made these victories easy for me.”

The next round of the Australian GT will be held on May 24-26 on the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

10.Feb 2013

Victory for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in Bathurst 12-hour race

Bathurst (AUS) – The Erebus Motorsport GT team put on an impressive display with its pair of Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 cars in the Bathurst 12-hour race. Having started sixth, German drivers Thomas Jäger (GER), Bernd Schneider (GER) and Alexander Roloff (GER) secured victory for the Australian racing team, competing with the SLS AMG GT3 with starting number 36. The sister car with number 63, driven by Tim Slade (AUS), Lee Holdsworth (AUS) and Peter Hackett (AUS) showed an equal performance. However, the gullwing competition car dropped back from second place following a collision in the closing stages of the race and eventually was classified sixth.

From the very beginning, spectators along the 6.213 kilometres long Mount Panorama Circuit got to see a high-class race, in which the two SLS AMG GT3 cars dominantly led the field of the 50 participating cars for long stages. Only 90 minutes before the end, heavy downpours mixed up positions. For instance, the SLS AMG GT3 with starting number 63 that had started from pole position had to turn into the pits for a 15 minutes’ repair following a collision and thus lost its second place. Back on track, Peter Hackett, who took the final turn behind the wheel, was still able to bring sixth place home.

Out in front, a thrilling tyre gamble emerged once the track dried out and rain set in again during the final hour. Final driver Alexander Roloff, who came in for another set of rain tyres while leading the race with 15 minutes remaining, showed his mental strength and defended his one-lap lead until the chequered flag was out. Thus, together with Thomas Jäger and Bernd Schneider, who both raced as members of AMG Customer Sports drivers’ support programme, Roloff secured the maiden victory for an SLS AMG GT3 in the prestigious Bathurst 12-hour race.

Alexander Roloff: “Being the final driver with the leading car is an honour, but also a great responsibility. However, more than anything else, today’s final stint in changeable conditions was hard work. Similarly to the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, it can be dry in one part and entirely wet only two corners later. Therefore, I am all the more happy to have brought victory home.”

Bernd Schneider: “I am overjoyed, this is a great success for all of us. The Mount Panorama Circuit is extremely demanding and doesn’t pardon any mistakes. However, our strategy totally worked out: at the end, we were able to concentrate on defending our lead and didn’t have to attack anymore. Alexander did a great job.”

Thomas Jäger: “Thanks to the entire Erebus Motorsport GT team. Co-operation prior to the race and during the event was really outstanding. Next to the speed, the consistency and reliability of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 once again was the key to our success.”

Ryan Maddison, CEO Erebus Motorsport GT: “Having finished second here last year, we were now really determined to win. Thanks to a great team performance, we managed to do so. Of course, missing out on the 1-2 that was on the cards for such a long time is slightly disappointing. Both cars had the potential and the performance to win the race. Thanks to the entire team and, of course, to Mercedes-AMG for the support.”

Ola Källenius, chairman of the board, Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “This is a great day for the Erebus Motorsport GT team and for our AMG Customer Sports programme. My sincere congratulations! After victory in the Dubai 24 Hours, this is already the second victory for an AMG Customer team this year – a promising start into a great 2013 motorsport season.”

Uli Fritz, head of AMG Customer Sports: “Congratulations to the winning Erebus Motorsport GT team. Everyone involved has shown an incredible effort to achieve this maiden victory in the Bathurst 12-hour race. A victory that would have been well-deserved by both cars, because the Australian drivers’ crew also harmonised perfectly and played its role in the outcome of the race, too.”